The Avatar and the Dual Bender: Book 2
by SanityIsOverratedXD
Summary: Kimiko's life was turned upside down when the Avatar arrived at the South Pole and she discovered that not only was she a waterbender, but she was also a firebender. Join her as she travels with the Gaang to find Aang an Earthbending teacher and learns more about herself along the way.
1. The Avatar State

**The Avatar State**

Kimiko's POV

I grinned at Master Pakku as the ship cut through the water. He was holding a small brown cloth bag. He reached into the bag and pulled out two triangle-shaped amulets.

"Katara, Kimiko, I want you to have these" I looked closely at the amulets. They had wave-shaped pattern of blue color with a crescent moon on the top. "These amulets contain water from the Spirit Oasis" He handed one to me and the other to Katara. "The water has unique properties. Don't lose it" His face softened as we bowed.

"Thank you, Master Pakku" Katara and I said. Katara stepped forward and hugged him. She turned and walked to Appa nd climbed up onto his saddle. I moved forward and hugged him tightly before joining Katara. I watched as Master Pakku produced an intricately-decorated brown box.

"Aang, these scrolls will help you master waterbending, but remember they're no substitute for a real master" Aang looked up at me and Katara and then climbed up onto Appa and took the reigns. "Sokka" Sokka looked at him proudly and expectantly. "Take care, son" he said, patting Sokka's arm. Sokka climbed up into the saddle looking dejected. "Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There you'll be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi"

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang pulled the reigns and Appa soared into the sky.

"Say hi to Gran Gran for me!" Katara called.

"Tell Kana I love her and I miss her!" I shouted.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I glared at the ground as I leaned against the wall of the bathhouse.

"Aaahhh... this is what I've been missing. Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?" Uncle said as he recieved a massage from two attendants. I continued to glare at the ground. "I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?"

"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all" I looked up. "I want it back. I want the Avatar and the dual bender, I want my honor, I want my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless"

"I'm sure he doesn't! Why would he banish you if he didn't care?" Uncle asked. Even though I knew that wasn't what he meant, I got up and walked away.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I lazily twirled a flame between my fingers as we flew. Sokka suddenly stood up, looking excited.

"There it is!" he yelled. I spun aroundto look at the walled base. Appa flew down toward it. He landed inside and a bearded man in a green cap and brown and green armor stepped forward.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" the man boomed. I slid off of Appa as Sokka stretched and Katara brought down our supplies and Aang rubbed his behind. They stopped and stood next to me, facing the man. He bowed along with the many soliders behind him. "I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes! Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, and Kimiko" he finished, his lip curling with distaste as he looked at me. I frowned. So Sokka is brave and KAtara is mighty and I'm just Kimiko. Well that sucks. And of course, the guy hates me.

"Prejudiced bastard" I muttered under my breath.

"'Mighty Katara'? I like that" Fireworks exploded behind us and we turned to look at them. A group of four Earthbenders stepped forward, lifting small, green orbs from the ground and launching them into the air with their fists.

"Not bad, not bad" Sokka murmured. We were led into the base to a large room with green-lit columns on each side of a central walkway. A desk stood at the far end, with a large banner showing a green circle and a brown square inside of it hanging from the ceiling. The symbol of the Earth Kingdom. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and I sat in the center of the room on a mat, with Fong at the desk.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole" Fong stroked his beard. "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power" He stopped stroking and peered down at Aang. "It's an awesome responsibility"

"I try not to think about it too much" Aang mumbled. Fong smiled happily.

"Avatar... you're ready to face the Fire Lord now" I stared at the general in disbelief.

"What? No I'm not!" Aang cried.

"Aang still needs to master all four elements" Katara told Fong.

"Why?" He stood."With the kind of power he possesses—power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes—he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

"But, sir, the thing is Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar state" Sokka said timidly.

"See, it's this special state where—" Fong cut him off.

"I'm well aware. Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power" He walked around his desk and approached a map of the world hanging on the wall. "Without you we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores. But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation" He pointed at the map, drawing a line with his finger from the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation.

"Right... but I'm don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar state, much less what to do once I'm there" Fong turned aronud to face us.

"So it's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state, and then you'll face your destiny" We stood. This guy had no right!

"No, nothing's decided. We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing his destiny his way" I said heatedly.

"Quiet!" he shouted. "You do not get to speak unless I say" I scowled.

"Excuse me?" I yelled. Sokka pinned my arms behind me as I moved toward the general.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Aang declared.

"She is Fire Nation. I will address her however I wish" Fong said.

"You prejudiced-mmph" Katara smacked her hand over my mouth.

"Kimiko is also Water Tribe. And my sister. You will not speak to her like that" Katara said in quiet dangerous voice. Fong studied us for a moment. Sokka holding me back, Katara's hand over my mouth, and struggles to get away from them and pound him into the ground. Fong turned to Aang.

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" he asked. He led Aang over to a window as Sokka finally released me. Katara took her hand away from my mouth. I glared at the general's back.

"I hate this guy" I growled. Fong and Aang turned back to us.

"Take them to their room" Fong ordered. Two soldiers led us to a dimly lit room with three beds and bedroll on the floor. Fire crackled along my knuckles.

"Bastard" I spat.

* * *

Aang walked in as I punched the pillow of the bedroll into place. If the general wanted me to sleep on the floor, then fine I would sleep on the floor, but spirits be damned if I wasn't at least comfortable. Momo chittered and crawled up my arm to sit on my head. Katara at up and faced Aang.

"I told the general I'd help him" Aang said quietly. "By going into the Avatar state.

"Aang, no. This is not the right way" Katara said.

"Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible" Sokka said.

"There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline" Katara told them.

"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord" Sokka said simply.

"Kimiko! Back me up!" Katara demanded.

"No thanks. I'd rather not get in the middle of this" I said as Momo curled up on my stomach and I scratched him gently behind his ears.

"If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine. Go ahead and glow it up!" Katara stormed out and Aang stood.

"Katara, I'm just being realistic. I don't have time to do this the right way" Momo lokoed up at Aang before yawning and laying his head down.

* * *

Kimi, you coming with us?" Aang asked the next morning.

"Nah, I need to practice fire. I haven't had time with learning waterbending up at the North Pole" I said as I pulled on my leather slippers. I adjusted my tunic and slid my dagger into its sheath and my fans into my belt. I grabbed my bag with my scrolls and left. I tapped the shoulder of one of the soldiers. "Excuse me sir, is there anywhere I could practice my bending in peace and quiet?" The soldier studied me for a moment before nodding and leading down into a small courtyard. "Thank you" I murmured, bowing to him. He returned the bow and left. I looked around. Surrounding the courtyard was a small grove of cherry blossom trees. I inhaled deeply and smiled before sliding into my horse stance. I made my mind go blank as I focused only on the heat from the sun.

* * *

Zuko's POV

Uncle emptied a bag seashells onto the table of our room.

"Look at these magnificent shells! I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come"

"We don't need anymore useless things" I growled. "You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now"

"Hello, brother. Uncle" I spun around to face the familiar voice. I glared at Azula as she played with a small seashell in her hand.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"In my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions" She got up and walked over to face me. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

"Don't call me that!" I yelled.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Uncle asked.

"Hmm... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point" She shattered the shell with her sharp nails. I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him—treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust" He voice and expression softened. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home"

"Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful" she said as I looked out the window. "I just gave you great news"

"I'm sure your brother just needs a moment to—" Azula cut him off.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" Azula walked up to stand beside me. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I am not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way" I felt shocked.

"Father regrets? He... wants me back?" I asked, disbeliveingly.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening" She left quickly.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I grunted as I strained to keep the fireball controlled. It was about as wide as me and about as tall as Momo. I was throwing it around and bringing it back, struggling to keep control of the fire. Sweat poured down my back. I twisted and threw the fireball against the ground. It exploded, sending tongues of flame outward. I blocked them and leaned on my legs as I panted heavily. I looked up at the sky. It was getting late. I pulled out my fans and twirled them around experimentally. I remembered Suki's words from so long ago.

'_Use your opponents power against them_' I grinned and then flung the fan at one of the trees. It hit the tree with a thud, sticking in the trunk. I twisted and threw the other fan. It thunked against another tree and I spun as I pulled out my dagger. I slashed and twirled as I practiced my offensive and defensive moves. Finally, I stopped. The sky was dark as I collected my things and went back inside.

"Do you have a bathhouse?" I asked one of the soliders. He pointed me down the hallway. "Thank you" I said, bowing. I went down to the bathhouse and looked in. I stepped into one of the stalls and peeled off my sweaty clothes. I placed them on the bench and grabbed a towel from above. I took my sweaty clothes out with me and hung them up before turning on the steam bath. I sighed happily as I placed the towel next to the tub and slid in.

* * *

Katara's POV

"Can we talk about something?" I asked Aang as we looked out over the wall.

"Sure" he mumbled.

"Do you remember when we were at the air temple and you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton? It must have been so horrible and traumatic for you. I saw you get so upset that you weren't even you anymore. I'm not saying the Avatar state doesn't have incredible—and helpful power. But you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary" I hoped this would make him see that he shouldn't do this.

"I'm really glad you told me that. But I still need to do this"

"I don't understand"

"No, you don't. Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war. I have to try it"

"I can't watch you do this to yourself. I'm not coming tomorrow" I said quietly. I began to walk away, but I stopped. "Goodnight" I murmured and left.

* * *

Zuko's POV

"We're going home. After three long years. It's unbelievable" I said as I walked past Uncle, putting some clothes in a bag.

"It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything" Uncle said.

"Did you listen to Azula?" I demanded. "Father's realized how important family is to him. He cares about me" I finished forcefully.

"I care about you. And if Ozai wants you back... well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine" I turned away from him.

"You don't know how my father feels about me" I stiffened as I added, "You don't know anything"

"Zuko," Uncle started, gently. "I only meant that in our family things are not always what they seem" I whirled around to face him.

"I think you are exactly what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother" I turned and walked away so I wouldn't have to see the hurt look on Uncle's face. I hadn't meant it. I just wanted to urt him because he was making it seem like he didn't want me to be happy.

* * *

Kimkos POV

I quickly dressed into a set of spare clothes folded neatly on the shelf. A pair of tan pants and a green tunic tied tightly with a dark green sash. I gathered my things and walked out. I pushed open the door to the room and walked in. Aang was sitting up and I looked over at him curiously.

"Aang?" He looked up quickly. "Are you okay?" He swallowed. I sat down on the edge of his bed. Momo chittered and soared over to land between us.

"Wha...?" I looked over at Sokka as he sat up.

"I don't think we should be trying to bring on the Avatar state" Aang said quietly. Sokka looked over and smiled as he saw me.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yes" Aang murmured. Sokka shrugged as I looked at him.

"Okay" I said as I stood and moved over to the bedroll.

"Do you think the general will be mad?" Aang asked.

"What can he say?" Sokka said. "You're the Avatar. Who knows better than you?" Sokka rolled over to go back to sleep and I slid under the soft blanket and closed my eyes.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I walked quickly down the stone staircase from the bathhouse, my bag slung over my shoulder. I looked down at the ship below.

"Wait!" I turned. "Don't leave without me!"

"Uncle! You've changed your mind!" I said appily.

"Family sticks together, right?" I smiled as he placed a hand on my shoulder. We looked a=down at the ship.

"We're finally going home" I continued down the steps.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

Aang faced Fong the next morning.

"The thing is, I don't think we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose. So, I guess that's it" I stood off to the side with Sokka. KAtara was back in our room. She didn't want to come.

"Sure I can't change your mind?" Fong asked.

"I'm sure. I can only reach the Avatar state when I'm in genuine danger"

"I see. I was afraid you'd say that" Fong murmured. I gasped as Fong's desk went flying toward Aang, sending flying out the window.

"Aang!" I screamed. I moved to go after, but two guards grabbed me and pinned my arms as the other two restrained Sokka. Fong ran to the ruined wall.

"Men! Attack the Avatar!" he shouted. He leapt down. I could the sounds of rocks colliding and winced. I struggled against the strong arms of the guards. Sokka lifted up his legs and slammed his feet down on those of the two guards. I twisted my hands and fire blazed from my fingertips. The guards yelped and back away. Sokka smacked their helmets with his boomerang. They fell to the ground and Sokka and I ran to the broken wall. I gasped as four earthbenders threw large stone disks at him. I exchanged a look with Sokka before running.

* * *

Zuko's POV

A group of Fire Nation soldiers formed two ranks along the path leading to the ship. Uncle and I walked toward them. Azula was standing at the top of the stairs leading onto her ship, a soldier on each side. She raised her arms in greeting and bowed to us as we walked between the soldiers.

"Brother! Uncle!" We bowed. "Welcome. I'm so glad you decided to come" The two lines of soldiers closed in behind us.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?"

"Set our course for home, Captain" Azula said plesantly.

"Home..." I murmured.

"You heard the princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners ho—" He stopped aburptly. I inhaled sharply, surprised. "Your Highness... I..." Uncle immediately went into action, attacking the soldiers. I grabbed one guard and threw him overboard as I stalked up toward Azula.

"You lied to me!" I yelled.

"Like I've never done that before" she said smugly. She turned and walked away and two guards launched fire at me. I brushed the fire aside and charged forward.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

Sokka and I ran down the steps. Katara was running down the set.

"What's going on?" she asked as we met at the bottom.

"The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka shouted. I burned a spear as it flew toward Aang. I hurried over to Katara as she sliced a spear and Sokka moved toward the ostrich horse. "Good bird/horse thingy" he said nervously. He grabbed the reins and leapt on the back of it. It took off running. I watched in horror as Aang ran up the stairs and the discs began to line up on either of me and Katara.

"Maybe you can avoid me, but they can't" The Earthbenders used their discs to create a v-shaped wall, making it so that the only means of escape was by General Fong. I whipped my water at Fong at the same time as Katara, but he raised a patch of dirt, creating a patch of mud. He took up a fighting stance. I cried out as I spun around, sinking into the ground. I was up to my knees. Fear gripped me.

"Aaahhh!" Katara struggled to get out. "I can't move!" I strained and pushed myself up to look at Fong.

"Don't hurt them!" Aang yelled. He leapt down from the staircase and shot a stream of air at Fong as I slashed my hand and sent a stream of fire at him. He raised a column of rock to protect himself. He lowered it and turned back to me and Katara. We sank deeper. We were now down to our hips. I shrieked in wordless fear.

"Katara! Kimi! No!" Sokka shouted. He forced the ostrich horse toward Fong who sank its legs into the dirt. Sokka was tossed from it, landing in the hole of one of the discs. Aang ran forwad, grabbing Fong's hand.

"Stop this! You have to let her go" he said desperately.

"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state"

"I'm trying... I'm trying!" I screamed as we sank down to our armpits.

"Aang, I'm sinking!" Katara cried. tears treamed down my face and I closed my eyes tightly. See the thing is, it wasn't the fact that I was sinking. No, it was because I'm deathly afraid of small spaces. When I was eight, I exploring some ice caves with Dad and there was an avalanche. I ot trapped in the cave, forced into the corner by snow and ice. It took them nearly a whole day to dig me out.

"I don't see glowing" Fong said. I sank furhter and I gasped as I realized only my head was above ground.

"Aang!" I screamed, my eyes flying open.

"You don't need to do this!" Aang yelled.

"Apparently I do" Fong clenched his fist and everything went black. I felt tight, compressed on all sides. I started to hyperventilate. I was going to die.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I knocked the guards away and slid into a fighting stance, facing Azula. She remained motionless. I brought my arms down, fire daggers appearing in my hands.

"Zuko! Let's go!" Uncle yelled. I ignored him and swung my daggers at Azula. She avoided them easily before grabbing my arm and spiining me around.

"You know Father blames Uncle for the loss at the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?" I brought out my fire daggers again and leapt at Azula, throwing a flaming kick at her head. She leapt back, nimbly dodging my blows. She swiped at his face with her fingernails. I staggered back at the stinging pain. I charged forward and swiped my daggers at Azula. She blocked my blows effortlessly and the fight continued up the stairs toward the cabin of the ship. She kicked me, knocking me down the stairs a bit. I recovered quickly and charged back toward Azula. She blocked my fist and grabbed my arm. She glared at me and my eyes widened. She tossed a blue flame at my head, sending me tumbling down the incline. I landed with a thud and pulled myself up. Everything looked blurry and shaky as I tried to find Azula. I watched in horror as lightning formed at her fingertips. She aimed her fingers at me and a lightning bolt shot toward me. Uncle appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Azula's fingers in his hand. He channeled the electricity through his body and shot it from his other hand, letting it explode harmlessly into the cliffside. He turned back to Azula and kicked her, sending her flying overboard. She splashed into the water. We ran down the path away from the ship.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I gasped as I was rasied out form the ground. I shuddered and curled in on myself, breathing heavily and whimpering as wind tugged at my hair and stung my face.

"It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar state, AND IT WORKED!" I heard Fong yell. I closed my eyes, my chest heaving as I tried to control my breathing. A cloud of dust washed over me and I heard rock crashing into rock and shouts of surprise. A moment later, the wind stopped and I cracked my eyes open to see Aang collapse to the ground. Katara ran up to him and they hugged. I was shaking as I sat up, hugging my knees to my chest. Tears trickled down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have to see me like that again" Aang said. Fong walked past me.

"Hah! Are you joking? That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that"

"You're out of your mind" Aang mumbled.

"I guess we'll figure that out on the way to the Fire Nation" Sokka rode up behind him and smacked his boomerang on Fong's helmet, knocking him out.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" Sokka asked. The soldiers shook their heads. Sokka dismounted and knelt beside me.

"Kimi?" he whispered. I looked at him with watery eyes. He hugged me tightly and I began to sob into his chest.

"It was so scary" I gasped. "So dark, so tight" I held me tightly as I cried. Katara and Aang joined him, wrapping their arms around me. Momo chittered as he landed on my head.

* * *

Zuko's POV

We ran down a path by the river and collapsed to our knees.

"I think we're safe here" Uncle panted. I brought out my knife. A gift from Uncle several years ago. I brought the knife up and cut off my ponytail. I passed it to Uncle who cut off his topknot. We dropped the hair into the river before getting up and continuing down the path.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Woohoo! First chapter of the second book! So what did you think? Yup Kimi has a very large fear of tight spaces. ONe of my friends is claustrophobic and I based it off of that. Although, she hasn't had any really bad experiences yet, she does start to freak out in large crowds and stuff like that.

Anywhoodles, REVIEW and I'll send you free e-cookies :)


	2. The Cave of Two Lovers

**The Cave of Two Lovers**

Kimiko's POV

I smiled as I turned over onto my stomach and let the sun wash over my back. I could hear Aang and Katara splashing around in the water.

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" I lifted my head up to look at Sokka as he drifted along on a leaf. "We've got a lot of ground to cover if we wanna make it to Omashu today"

"Pfft, like you're ready to go right now, naked guy?" I asked, gesturing to his loincloth.

"I can be ready in two minutes. Seriously" He lifted his hair to look at me and let his arm drop lazily back into the water. "Whenever" I rolled my eyes and watched as Katara taught Aang the octopus form. I rolled over onto my back and practically drank in the warmth of the sun. Momo squeaked in my ear and I opened one eye and looked at him. He tipped his head to the side and then licked my nose.

"Momo!" I giggled, sitting up. I looked down the beach as music sounded. I raised an eyebrow as a group of colorfully dressed people walked toward us, playing instruments and singing. The one carrying a guitar like instrument and wearing a wreath of flowers began to sing softly.

"Don't fall in love with a traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and broken hearted..." he sang. The woman on his left wore black and pink and had big hair adorned with a single flower and was playing a flute. A rotund fellow behind the man wore white and pink robe, a coolie hat and played a drum. I immediately dove into the water and surfaced near Sokka's leaf boat. I peeked out over the leaf as the travelers neared. Sokka raised an eyebrow. I stuck out my tongue and then grinned micheviously. I motioned with my hand and Sokka yelped as a small wave pushed his leaf boat over and he fell into the water.

"Heh-hey! River people!" the guitar man called. He sounded like a hippy.

"We're not river people" Katara said.

"You're not? Well then what kind of people are ya?"

"Just... people" Aang told him.

"Aren't we all, brother? Whoo" Sokka stalked over and I watched amusedly as Momo landed on his shoulder.

"Who're you?" he demanded.

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lily" He indicated to the woman on his left. She made a little curtsy. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us!"

"You guys are nomads That's great! I'm a nomad" Aang said excitedly.

"Hey, me too" Chong said.

"You just said that" I muttered as I walked over to stand next to Sokka.

"Oh. Nice underwear" he said, looking at Sokka. Sokka looked down and his eyes bulged. He grabbed Momo and placed him...well...anyway, he walked away quickly.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I grunted as I pushed myself out of the bush. Uncle was looking at some flower.

"I didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive" I kicked at the ground angrily. "This is impossible!" Uncle sniffed the flower deeply.

"Uncle... what are you doing?" I asked calmly.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking! That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous" I huffed and turned to leave.

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing" And I left.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I snorted as the travelers braided Appa's fur with small pink flowers. Chong was playing his guitar and I swayed lightly to the music. Sokka walked over.

"Having fun?" he asked, chuckling.

"Mmhm" I continued swaying to the music and he walked closer to Appa and the others.

"Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere" Aang called. Chong stopped playing and I pouted before walking over to them.

"Well, not everywhere, Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been we've heard about through stories and songs"

"They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler" Aang said excitedly. I paled.

"Um..." I started.

"On the way there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow" Moku said dreamily.

"Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara is busy I guess it's up to me" I glanced over at my sister to see that she was having her braided by Lily. Moku looked down me.

"You have beautiful hair" she murmured. I smield and sat down in front of her. She began to pull lightly at my hair, weaving it into a braid. "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows"

"Whoa..." Chong leaned up to look at Sokka. "Sounds like someone's got a case of 'destination fever', heh. You're worried too much about where you're going"

"You've gotta focus less on the 'where' and more on the 'going'" Lily said.

"O. Ma. Shu" Sokka enunciated.

"Sokka's right. We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe" Katara said.

"Well, sounds like you're headed to Omashu" Sokka smacked his forehead and I raised an eyebrow. Moku finished the braid and I thanked her. "There's an old story about a secret pass...right through the mountains"

"Is this real or a legend?" I asked skeptically.

"Oh, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself" He started playing his guitar and singing along. "Two lovers, forbidden from one another... a war divides their people, and a mountain divides them apart. Built a path to be together" He stopped. "Yeah, and I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes..." He began to sing again. "Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountain! Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!" I huffed and stood.

"I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine"

"Yeah. Thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground and we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable"" Aang smiled widely and we boarded Appa.

* * *

I screamed as fireballs flew through the air toward us. We clung to each other as Appa swerved around and we headed back, fireballs skimming us.

* * *

We walked past Chong and his group covered in ash. I coughed loudly.

"Secret love cave. Let's go" Sokka grumbled.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I scowled as I walked back to find Uncle, the fishing rod slung over my shoulder. The minnow I caught struggled pathetically. I stopped when I saw Uncle. He had his back to me.

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?" he started. A horrible swooped into my stomach.

"You didn't!"

"I did" He turned to reveal his red, swollen face which he was scratching. "And it wasn't" I scrambled back.

"Yah!"

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing" He lifted up a branch of dark blue berries. "But look what I found! These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness" I smacked the branch ot of his hand.

"We're not taking any more chances with these plants! We need to get help"

"But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation" he said.

"If the Earth Kingdom, discovers us, they'll have us killed" I mused.

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula" Uncle pointed out. We exchanged a look and nodded at each other.

"Earth Kingdom it is" I said. Death is definitely better than anything Azula could do.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I yawned as I stumbled along after the others. I was working of very little sleep. I'd had a nightmare about Zhao burning me again. I shuddered and continued on. I tripped and cried out as I fell to the ground.

"Ugh!" I groaned into the ground.

"Kimi, are you okay?" Aang asked.

"No" I said, my voice muffled. Sokka turned me over and I stared up at him. He frowned.

"Your have circles under your eyes still" he murmured. I yawned again.

"Sorry" I mumbled. He lifted me up and swung me onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he shifted so he could hold me. "I'm too heavy" I said quietly.

"Pfft, you're about the same size as Aang, you're fine" he said. Katara looked at me worriedly and I waved my hand lightly before resting my head on Sokka's shoulder. I closed my eyes and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

I yelped as I was dropped uncermoniously on the ground. I opened my eyes and looked around. Appa was digging frantically at a wall of rubble. Chong was holding a torch as Katara soothed Appa.

"What happened?" I asked as I brushed myself off.

"Fire Nation troops" Katara said quietly. "They trapped us" I swore loudly and kicked a rock. I continued to swear as I jumped up and down, clutching my foot. Sokka looked around.

"Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Eh, about two hours each" he said.

"And we have five torches so that's..." Lily lifted up the other four and swiped them against the ground. "Ten hours" Sokka grabbed the torches and stomped on them, putting the fires out.

"It doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time!"

"Ohh, right" she said vacantly. I sighed and lit a fire in my hand.

"I'm gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through" Sokka said. We began to move deeper into the tunnel.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I scowled as Uncle was tended to by a female healer in the village hospital. He was covered with the red rash from eating the white jade flower. The woman was applying a clay like substance to the rash. I pulled my coolie hat down to cover my face and turned my gaze to the floor.

"You two must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it" the woman said, laughing lightly.

"Heh heh heh. Whoops!" Uncle said sheepishly.

"So where are you traveling from?" the woman asked. I stood, quickly making a cover story.

"Yes, we're travelers"

"Do you have names?"

"Names? Of course we have names. I'm... Lee. And this is my uncle, uh... Mushi" I said quickly. Uncle shot me a disgruntled look from behind the woman's back.

"Yes, but my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior" Uncle said. I curled my hands into fists. Ugh!

"Mushi and Junior, huh? My name is Song. You two look like you could use a good meal" She turned and swated Uncle's hand away scratching his rash. "Why don't you stay for dinner"

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on" I said.

"That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck" Song murmured. I almost slapped my forehead. She had to say roast duck, didn't she? Uncle peered over Song's shoulder.

"Where do you live, exactly?" he asked. I scowled.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I scowled as Sokka fooled around with making a map.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to" Katara grumbled.

"This doesn't make any sense; we already came through this way" Sokka mumbled.

"We don't need a map. We just need love" He pointed at Aang. I glared at Chong, the flame in my hand flaring up for a moment. "The little guy knows it"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map, also" Aang said sheepishly.

"There's something strange here. There's only one explanation. The tunnels are changing" I rolled my eyes just as a low rumble sounded through the tunnel. I looked up, startled and then back down at the others. What was that?

* * *

Zuko's POV

Song's mother placed a plate of roast duck on the table and then sat.

"My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves" she said.

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father" I swallowed uncomfortably as Song finsihed sadly.

"I haven't seen my father in many years" I said lowly.

"Oh. Is he fighting in the war?" Uncle slurped up a mouthul of noodles and watched me apprehensively. I put my bowl down.

"Yeah" I mumbled.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

"The tunnels... they're a-changin'. Ah, it must be the curse. I knew we shouldn't have come down here" Chong yelped as I smacked the back of his head.

"Shut up!" I snapped. "You're not helping"

"Everyone be quiet. Listen" Katara said. I strained my ears to listen to the sounds up ahead. Momo leapt off my shoulder and flew off into the darkness. A few seconds later, a wolf bat soared out. I shrieked and ducked as it flew over my head.

"It's a giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong yelled.

"No! It's a wolf-bat!" Moku cried. The wolf bat landed on four legs, and folded it wings. After snarling a bit, it launched back into the air and flew over our heads. Sokka tried to burn it with the torch, but failed. Appa got burned and stampeded around the tunnel. I growled and shot a stream of fire up at the wolf-bat. It swerved and the fire subsided. Finally the wolf-bat knocked the torch out of Sokka's hand. It sailed through the air and landed on Appa's toe. Oh no...Appa reared up and cried out in pain. He ran around in anguish, hitting the cave walls and causing a cave in. I screamed and dove out of the way. A blast of air soared over my head, pushing the others back. Aang grabbed the back of my tunic and then dragged me with him as he tackled Katara to the ground. I stood and spun around to face the wall of debris.

"Sokka!" I yelled, digging frantically at the rocks.

"Kimi, they can't hear you" Aang said. I turned to him despairingly. "Come on, we have to keep moving"

* * *

Zuko's POV

I was sitting cross legged on Song's porch as she walked over and sat beside me.

"Can I join you?" she asked. "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you" She reached out to touch my scar, but I grabbed her hand to stop her. "It's okay. They've hurt me, too" She raised the part of her dress covering her right leg to reveal a firebending scar. I stared at it, flashing back to when I rescued Kimi from Zhao. She'd had the same marks on her arm. I turned away.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I lit a flame in my hand as I yawned. I trailed along behind Katara and Aang. Appa lumbered along beside me, away from the flame.

"Aang, look!" Katara shouted. She pointed at a huge, round stone door ahead of us. They ran to it and I jogged after them.

"We found the exit!" Aang cried. I stumbled as a wave of tiredness swept over me. They both began to strain with effort trying to push the door open. Appa moved forward and began to make irritated noises. Aang and Katara turned to see Appa pawing the ground and snorting. They looked at each other in alarm. They jumped out of the way just as Appa charged the door and forced it open. My flame flickered as I followed them in.

"This isn't the exit" Katara said unhappily.

"No... it's a tomb" Aang stated. They moved forward to a railing. I stumbled and grabbed Appa's fur as I nearly tumbled down the steps.

"Guys" I called. My flame flickered again. Katara turned. I swayed dangerously as she dove forward to catch me.

"Aang, light a torch" she ordered. Another light joined my fading flame. "Kimiko, what's wrong?" she asked quickly.

"So tired" I mumbled. My vision became fuzzy and everything black.

* * *

Katara's POV

I looked at Kimiko worriedly.

"Katara, she's okay" Aang said reassuredly. "She's just really tired"

"But why?" I asked. Aang bit his lip.

"She been having nightmares" he said quietly. I stared at him, my jaw dropping. "She woke me up a couple times. She was moaning and crying out. Stuff about Zhao and fire..." I looked down at the scars that wrapped around Kimiko's arm. I lightly traced them and then lifted her up.

"Let's put her in Appa's saddle" I said. Aang took her and then airbended himself onto Appa's back. He gently placed her in Appa's saddle and jumped down.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the dais in the middle of the crypt. We walked down the staircase. As we neared the dais, I could two coffins. "It must be the two lovers from the legend. That's who's buried here" I held the torch up to the side of the dais. There were a series of paintings and writing adorning the side of the dais.

"These pictures tell their story" I said softly. I looked over the pictures and the writing and pieced together the story.

"They met on top of the mountain that divided their two villages. The villages were enemies so they could not be together. But their love was strong and they found a way. The two lovers learned earthbending from the badger moles. They became the first earthbenders. They built elaborate tunnels so they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever in the labyrinth. But one day the man didn't come. He died in the war between their two villages. Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power. She could have destroyed them all. But instead she declared the war over. Both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace. The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu. The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love" I turned to Aang in wonder and we turned to look at the statues behind us. The two statues were kissing and beneath them was a plaque.

"Love is brightest in the dark" I read.

"How are we gonna find our way out of these tunnels?" Aang demanded.

"I have a crazy idea" I said.

"What?"

"Never mind, it's too crazy" I said, turning away.

"Katara, what is it?" he asked.

"I was thinking... the curse says we'll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love"

"Right..."

"And here it says 'love is brightest in the dark' and..." I turned to face, keeping my eyes down "has a picture of them kissing" He was still clueless.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Well... what if we kissed?" I asked, looking up at him, a blush rising to my cheeks.

"Us, kissing?" Aang asked.

"See? It was a crazy idea" I said, turning away.

"Us... kissing..." His tone had changed to something I didn't recognize. I tried laughing it off.

"Us kissing. What was I thinking? Can you imagine that?" I asked.

"Yeah, heh, heh" He pointed at me. "I definitely wouldn't wanna kiss you!" His eyes bugged out and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh, well I didn't realize it was such a horrible option" I glared at him. "Sorry I suggested it!"

"No, no, I mean... if there was a choice between kissing you and dying..." I turned away from him, the insult digging deep.

"What I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die. That's a compliment"

"Well, I'm not sure which I would rather do!" I growled. I spun around and stalked away.

* * *

Zuko's POV

Uncle and I stood in Song's courtyard. It was still night, and fireflies buzzed lazily around us. Song and her mother stood ready to bid us goodbye.

"Thank you for the duck. It was excellent."

"You're welcome" Song's mother said. She handed him a package, most likely of leftover roast duck. "It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such... gusto" Uncle patted his stomach.

"Much practice" he said happily. I turned to leave, but Uncle stopped me. "Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people" I turned and gave a short bow.

"Thank you" I said quietly.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!" Song called after me. I tensed.

"I know" I murmured. I walked off, Uncle following. As we passed the courtyard gate, I saw a stable where an ostrich horse was tethered. I stopped, looked at the animal, and then back at the courtyard. I unhooked the ostrich and began to lead it away with us.

"What are you doing?" Uncle asked, appalled. "These people just showed you great kindness"

"They're about to show us a little more kindness" I offered my hand to Uncle. "Well?" Uncle looked down sadly before climbing up with me.

* * *

Katara's POV

I climbed up Appa to check on Kimiko. She was sleeping, but she kept shifting and mumbling under her breath.

"How is she?" Aang called up to me.

"She's restless" I called back. "I think she's having another nightmare"

"Hurts..." Kimiko murmured. "Zhao...fire..." She cried in pain and I placed a hand on her forehead.

"Ssh. It's okay" I whispered. She stilled under my touch and her breathing evened out. I slid back down Appa and we continued on down the tunnel.

"We're gonna run out of light any second now, aren't we?" Aang asked gloomily, looking down at the torch.

"I think so" I said quietly.

"Then what are we gonna do?"

"What can we do?" I looked up at him, smiling softly. He was watching me and we both began to lean in as the light dimmed. I closed my eyes as the light went out. I stopped as a light appeared above us. I opened my eyes and looked up. Light blue gems formed a path above us.

"It's made of some kind of crystals. They must only light up in the dark!" Aang said excitedly.

"That's how the two lovers found each other. They just put out their lights and followed the crystals" I murmured. I pointed down the tunnel. "That must be the way out!" We hugged each other happily.

"So... um..."

"Let's go!" We ran down and the exit was visible. We emerged into bright sunlight and Appa reared up.

"Appa! No!" Aang cried. He dove forward and caught Kimiko before Appa flopped down onto his back. He looked down at her apprehensively. She continued to sleep, her chest rising and falling evenly.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, still asleep" he told me. I snorted.

"Of course she is"

"What about Sokka?" He asked, looking around. Appa rolled back to his feet as we heard a rumble. Two holes were blown open next to the tunnel exit and revealed two badger moles. Sokka and Momo rode atop one and Chong and his group atop the other.

"Sokka!" I cried. Sokka slid down and ran over to me.

"How did you guys get out? What happened to Kimi?" he asked.

"She passed out" I told him. Momo soared over and landed on Kimiko's chest.

"We got out just like the legend says: we let love lead the way" Aang said.

"Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way" Sokka said. He turned and waved to the badger moles. Momo left Kimiko and landed by Appa. He began to chatter loudly and make hand gestures. Appa grunted.

"Why is your forehead all red?" I asked as I released Sokka. I raised an eyebrow and then Chong leaned over.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that kid might be the Avatar" Sokka smacked his forehead and I smothered my grin as I got the answer.

"So, are you guys gonna come to Omashu with us?" Aang asked.

"Nope" Moku responded.

"Okay. Thanks for everything, Moku" he said. I watched as Chong took his flower necklace and placed it around Sokka's neck.

"Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey" Chong hugged him.

"Just play your songs" Sokka said sullenly. Chong released him and beamed.

"Hey, good plan!" Then he started singing. "Even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Ooooohhhh..." Aang loked over at me and I looked down, blushing furiously.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I frowned as I was jostled to and fro.

"Ugh! Stop moving" I groaned.

"Kimi?" I opened my eyes and found myself looking up at Aang.

"What happened?" I asked as he placed me on my feet.

"You passed out" he said worriedly.

"Kimi! You're awake!" Sokka tackled me and I groaned.

"Can't breathe" I gasped. He released him and I glared at him playfully. He grinned. I pushed him forward and then hopped onto his back. "Onward my loyal steed" I heard Katara's laughter join Aang's and I grinned happily at her as Sokka adjusted his grip. They continued walking and I questioned them about what I missed.

"The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about - the destination" We reached the top of the hill. I gasped as I looked down at the city below. "I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O..." Sokka stopped. "Oh, no..." In front of us lay the devastated fortress city of Omashu. It was surrounded by what appeared to be siege towers. The city was smoking and seemed to be on fire in several places. I looked at the main gate where a Fire Nation flag was hanging.


	3. Return to Omashu

**Author's Note: **I can't believe how much people like this :) It makes feel all happy inside. Thank you to those who have favorited and alerted and followed this story and the 1st one. Anywhoodles, I have a poll up on my profile and only THREE people have voted :( Choose your favorite OC by me and make me happy with feedback...

CrazykittensAtemyHOMEWORK: Haha, I'm glad you like it. Well, I don't want give anything away, but I think you'll really like it :)

* * *

**Return to Omashu**

Kimiko's POV

"I can't believe it. I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed...untouchable" Aang murmured.

"Up until now, it was. Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left" Sokka told us quietly.

"This is horrible, but we have to move on" Katara said.

"No. I'm going in to find Bumi" Aang said firmly.

"Aang, stop" I mumbled. "We don't even know if Bumi's still..." I trailed off at the look he gave me.

"What? If he's still what?" he demanded.

"...around" I didn't meet his eyes.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people around who can teach you earthbending" Katara pointed out.

"This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend" I swallowed and looked up at the smoking city.

* * *

Appa floated along the city's moat by a ledge at the base of the Omashu side of the moat. Appa grunted a bit as he floated.

"A secret passage?" Sokka asked as we looked at the capped drain pipe emerging from the wall. Momo chittered quietly from my shoulder as Aang attempted to open to the drain with his staff.

"Why didn't we just use this last time?" Sokka asked. The cap popped off, releasing a huge gout of greenish sewage, some of which washed over Sokka. "Ugh!" I chuckled and he glared at me.

"Does that answer your question?" Aang asked. The greenish sewage continued to pour out of the pipe as Aang swung himself inside and disappeard up the pipe, a smile on his face. I exchanged a look with Katara and Sokka. Sokka jumped into the pipe and covered his nose as he moved forward. I gagged as I moved forward. I began to bend the water and Katara grinned at me as she did the same. We stepped in and continued to bend the water away from us.

"Can you back and right side?" I asked. She nodded and I bent the water in front of us and to the left.

"Ew!" I heard Sokka groan. We finally made it through and we pushed ourselves out from the sewer.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought" Katara said as Aang moved the cover toward the hole. Suddenly, a blob of green sewage emerged. It moaned and I yelped, backing away. Fire splayed out of my hands. The thing yelped and wiggled away. Katara quickly bent some watewr onto the monster. The gunk washed away to reveal Sokka, who slumped, sopping wet. Aang swung his staff at Sokka, whipping a gale that blew him dry. I rushed forward and pulled water out of my pouch. I let the water wrap around my hands before placing them over the small burn on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was you! I didn't mean to burn you! Oh please don't be mad! I'm so so so so sorry! I-mmph" Sokka clamped his hand over my mouth.

"It's fine" he murmured. "You didn't mean it" I sagged with relief and he pulled his hand away. I blinked as I realized there were two mini purple octopus like creatures stuck to either side of his head. They squeaked and Sokka's eyes widened. He grabbed one creature in each hand and tried to pull them from his face, but their suckers keep them attached.

"Aaahh! Aahhh! They won't let go! Help! Aaaak!" Aang pounced on Sokka, pinning him to the nearby wall, then releasing him.

"Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus" Aang told him quietly. The pentapus' began to palpitate again, making slight squishing noises. Sokka's eyes bugged out as he looked to either side of his face in horror and terrified. He made a slightly choked noise and Aang reached over to grip one of the pentapus'. He rubbed its head with his finger and it raised its tentacles from Sokka's cheek and popped off his face. Aang repeated the process with the other pentapus and Sokka rubbed his cheeks, glaring at the ground. Aang then moved around to remove a third one from his neck. I giggled as Sokka scowled.

"Hey!" I snapped my head up to look down the street. A patrol of Fire Nation guards were entering the street. Sokka and Katara closed ranks to obscure me and Aang for a moment. I quickly wrapped the black cloth around my blue eye as Aang pulled on a red, flat top hat to hide his airbender tattoo.

"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" one of the guards asked.

"Sorry. We were just on our way home" Katara said quickly. We turned around and started walking away.

"Wait! What's the matter with him?" We turned to see one of the guards pointing at Sokka.

"Uh...he has pentapox, sir" I lied. The guard walked up to Sokka, and moved to touch him. "Um...it's highly contagious!" The guard hesitated, then pulled his hand back. Sokka realized what I was doing and began to act sick. He raised his hands in front of him in a zombie-like fashion and began moan.

"Uuuuuuhhh...It's so awful...I'm dyiiiing..."

"...and deadly..." Katara added helpfully. Sokka continued to moan and lurch forward, the guards moved backwards in an effort to stay away from him.

"Wait, I think I've heard of pentapox" He turned to one of his comrades. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" Sokka advanced, coughing loudly. "We'd better go wash our hands...and burn our clothes!" The guards ran away and Sokka straightened up, smirking. Aang rubbed the head of the pentapus in his hand.

"Thank you, sewer friend!"

* * *

We moved silently through the streets of Omashu as we searched for Bumi. I motioned to them from behind some building materials as a patrol passed by.

"Let's find Bumi and get out of here" Katara whispered.

"Where would they be keeping him?" I asked.

"Somewhere he can't earthbend" Aang mumbled. "Somewhere made of metal" I squinted as a small procession of people emerged from a passage of the fortress. I moved closer. A group of guards were bearing torches as they surrounded two women. We hurried over to hide beside one of the chutes. I gasped as rocks crashed down the chute. They would crush those people. I gazed down at the people walking along the plaza below us. Aang raised his staff and pulverized the rocks into pebbles and dust as it passed with a blast of air. I was able to see a girl about my age standing below. he locked eyes with Aang.

"The resistance!" the older woman cried. The girl smiled slightly and in an instant fanned out her arms, releasing a hail of small arrows. Aang dodged the arrows, which embeded themselves on the stack of construction material. We began to run as the Fire Nation soldiers pursued us. Katara used waterbending to push them away. The girl followed us, her arms spread to either side. She fires another hail of arrows. I scowled and created a wall of ice, stopping the arrows. Mai continued the pursuit as we ran. Aang lets Katara and I pass as he turned to face the girl. As the girl approached, Aang caused some construction scaffolding on his right to collapse between them. As the scaffolding collapsed, the girl was able to get one, ornate throwing star through the falling debris. Aang twirled his staff in front of him and stopped it just in time. The dust from the falling scaffolding cleared. I let the water in my hands begin to travel up my arms as she threw another hail of arrows. I yelped as the ground disappeared from beneath our feet and we dropped. Green sewage dripped from the ceiling of the tunnel we fell into. I groaned and pushed Sokka off my legs.

* * *

I gripped Sokka's arm tightly as we were led through the tunnel to an underground cavern under Omashu. It was filled with Earth Kingdom resistance fighters. We stood on the ledge in front of the main exit tunnel from the room along with the Resistance Leader. The cavern was lit by several lamps hanging from the walls.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Aang asked. The people in the cavern turned to look at us.

"Of course not! The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city...to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered" the Leader said. I gaped at him. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said... 'I'm going to do...nothing!'" the Leader told us. "It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for"

"Actually there's another path to freedom. You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation. But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day" Aang said.

"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at ANY cost!" the Leader growled.

"I don't know, Ya" the Resistance Fighter next to him said. "Living to fight another day is startin' to sound pretty good to me"

"Yeah, I'm with the kid!" the second one said. The others in the cavern began to whisper their agreement.

"Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?" the Leader asked. I grinned and turned to Sokka. He grinned back and we both turned to the Leader.

"Suckers!" we said at the same time.

"You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox" Sokka said.

* * *

"The marks make ya look sick, but you gotta ACT sick, too. Ya gotta sell it!" Sokka called out to the crowd. Everyone in the crowd was covered with the marks left by the pentapi. An old man walked between Sokka and the crowd, groaning pathetically and holding a hand to his back. Sokka put his arm around an earth kingdom citizen next to him. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about" The old man looked back at Sokka and taped his wooden leg with his cane.

"Years of practice"

"Okay everyone! Into sick formation" I called out. I followed Sokka and the citizens as we moved toward the city gate.

* * *

"Plague! Plague!" one of the soliders cried as we moved toward them. Several soliders scurried out of the way as they let us out.

* * *

I looked up as Aang enter the camp with a very large...something. We stood and hurried over.

"We looked everywhere. No Bumi" Katara hugged Aang and the big thing beside him made sad noises. Sokka hugged it.

"Um, what is this thing?" I asked heistantly.

"This is Flopsie. He's King Bumi's pet" Sokka told me. The Resistance Leader walked up behind us.

"We've got a problem. We just did a head count"

"Oh no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asked.

"No, we have an extra" He pointed off to the right and I saw Momo walking around, a baby attached to his neck. The baby wass laughing as he hugged the lemur. We watched as Momo frantically dragged the baby around.

* * *

I raised an eyebrow as the baby plopped down onto the ground beside Sokka's club. The baby picked up the club and started to suck on it. Sokka snatched it and held it away from the baby.

"No! Bad Fire Nation baby!" The baby began to cry.

"Sokka!" I exclaimed. I reached forward and picked up the baby. Sokka mumbled something under his breath and placed the club back in the baby's lap. The baby giggles and began to play with the club. "Hi there" I cooed. "Aren't you just the cutest?" I lifted him up and rubbed my nose against his. He gurgled happily and I placed him in my lap.

"Sure he's cute now, but when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army. You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer" I frowned at the Reistance Leader.

"Not all Fire Nation are bad, you know..." I said quietly. He stared at me for a moment before Katara pointed at the baby.

"Does that look like the face of a killer to you?" she asked. I looked up as a messenger hawk screamed across the moonlit night. The hawk landed on the rock beside the Leader.

"A messenger hawk!" he called. Aang unrolled the message as I stood, the baby on my hip.

"It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son. So...he wants to make a trade. His son for King Bumi"

* * *

"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap?" Sokka pointed out as we walked down the hill to Appa. I cooed at the baby as he grabbed a piece of my long brown hair. He giggled and simply held it.

"I don't think so. I'm sure the Governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this" Aang said as the sun began to rise above the mountains.

* * *

We stood near the bottom of the scaffolding of a huge statue that was under construction. Three Fire Nation girls climbed up onto the platform. The girl from before led the group. I looked up as a crane began lowering a metal coffin suspended by a chain. Inside, I could the laughing and snorting King Bumi. The coffin twisted on the chain to reveal the man's face.

"Hi, everybody!" he called. The coffin landed standing straight up behind the girl and her friends.

"You brought my brother?" she asked.

"He's here. We're ready to trade" Aang told her.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" I watched as the other black haired girl stepepd forward. She looked familiar.

"Of course not, Princess Azula" said the pale, arrow-throwing girl. Of course, Zuko's sister. She still had the same cold stare as the young girl in the half of the picture I had burned long ago.

"We're trading a two year old for a king" She turned to look at King Bumi. "A powerful, earthbending king" Bumi nodded. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" Azula asked. Gloomy Girl looked away from Azula and towards me. My lips parted asthe baby cooed in my arms, tugging at my hair.

"You're right" she said dully. "The deal's off" She raised her left hand and Bumi was lifted back off the ground as the chain was reeled in from above.

"Whhhoa! See you all later!" Bumi called.

"Bumi!" Aang yelled.

"Sokka, take the baby" I said, holding the baby out to my brother. He nodded and carefully took the baby from me. Aang rushed forward toward the three girls. Azula bent a plume of whitish blue fire towards Aang and he jumped high into the air to avoid it. He landed on part of the partially constructed building and jumped off again. He opened his glider in mid air, but lost his hat, exposing his tattoo. I shot forward to distract the Fire Nation princess, but it was too late.

"The Avatar! My lucky day" she murmured as Aang spiraled upward on his glider.

"No!" I yelled. I whipped my hands through the air and a wave of flame cut her off. She spun around to look at me.

"Traitor!" she cried. I smirked.

"Wrong" I bent water from my pouch and whipped it at her. It wrapped around her arm and she scowled before slashing her hand down, a stream of blue fire spinning out toward me. I brought my hands up quickly, cutting through the flames as I ran forward. Azula's eyes widened.

"The dual bender" she gasped. She grinned maliciously. "This really is my lucky day" She cut me off by kicking her foot out and sending a stream of blue fire at me. I yelped and ducked. I swore when I realized she was on the elevator, following Aang. The other two girls charged us. Several blades shot out from Gloomy Girl's hand. Sokka blew the bison whistle as Katara and I slid into our stances.

"We've got to get the baby out of here!" I called over my shoulder.

"Way ahead of ya!" We turned and began to run to the edge of the construction platform. Suddenly, a fist punched Sokka's foot as he passed from a hole in the floor.

"Sokka!" I cried as he went sprawling to the edge of the platform, but landed on his back, protecting the baby. The brown haired that wore too much pink vaulted out of a trap door in the floor and headed towards Sokka and the baby. I created a water whip and caught the pink girl's ankle with it as Katara protected us from Gloomy Girl's arrows. Pink Girl fell flat on the ground as Sokka climbed down a ladder with the baby. I scowled as Pink Girl disappeared. Gloomy Girl shot a volley of arrows at us and I raised a wall of ice to protect myself and Katara. Katara encased Gloomy Girl's arm in water and froze it. She tried to break the ice with her free arm, but failed. Pink Girl appeared in the corner of my vision as she jabbed various pressure points on Katara. I ducked out of the way as she moved toward me. I swung my hands around like I would to create a water shield, but instead created a shield of fire. Pink Girl gasped and flipped away. Gloomy Girl faced Katara.

"How are you gonna fight without your bending?" she taunted. She pulled out a three pointed device that unfolded into a talon shaped throwing star. I gasped and dropped the flames. Pink Girl leapt forward as Sokka's boomerang knocked the star out of Gloomy Girl's hand. Pink Girl jabbed several pressure points on me and I gasped as I stumbled back.

"I seem to manage!" Sokka yelled. Sokka and Appa landed between Katara and the two girls. I ducked away from Pink Girl as Appa's tail came down in huge arc, smashing the platform in behind him, throwing the girls way back and making a huge hole in the floor. Katara and I scrambled onto Appa's back and into the saddle as he took off.

"There's Aang!" Katara cried, pointing at one of the chutes.

"We can catch him!" Sokka said. Aang was deflecting blasts of blue fire from Azula as we neared. He struck the side of the chute with his staff, launching the metal coffin out of the chute. We tried to grab the coffin as it passed overhead, but we missed. The coffin sailed over Appa and fell down the other side.

* * *

I smiled at Aang as he joined us. He had returned the baby to the governor and his wife. I leaned back against my bedroll as we soared off into the night.


	4. The Swamp

**Author's Note: **Wow, I'm really sorry it took so long to update. I had some trouble with this chapter because I didn't know what to include and stuff like that, but I finally got it done! Yay! :) Sooooo, I hope you like it and review! PLEASE! Reviews make me feel all fuzzy and happy inside...and I usually update faster...

* * *

**The Swamp**

Zuko's POV

"Spare coins for weary travelers?" Uncle asked as a man passed us. The man threw a few copper coins into Iroh's hat, joining the others already there. I scowled.

"This is humiliating! We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want"

"They will - if you ask nicely" Uncle said calmly. A well dressed woman passed us. "Spare change for a hungry old man?" Uncle asked in a weak voice.

"Aww," She pulled a coin from her sleeve and put it in his hat. "Here you go"

"The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile" he told her. I slapped my forehead in frustration. A man carrying a pair of broadswords on his back stopped in front of us.

"How about some entertainment in exchange for a gold piece" he said, pulling out a gold piece.

"We're not performers" I said shortly. Uncle smiled and put his hat on the ground.

"Not professional, anyway" he said as he stood, clasping his hands together. He began to sing.

"It's a long, long way to Ba-Sing-Se, but the girls in the city they look soo prett-ay!"

"Come on! We're talking a gold piece here!" He whipped out his broadswords. "Let's see some action!" I glared at the man. How dare he! "Dance!" The man began to swing his swords at Uncle's legs. Uncle hopped up and down to avoid the blows while continuing his song.

"And they kiss so sweet that you've really got to meet the girls from Ba-Sing-Se!" he continued singing.

"Hahaha! Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner. Here ya go!" Uncle picked up the coin as the man walked away. I scowled after him.

"Such a kind man" Uncle murmured.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I huffed as I looked over the edge of Appa's saddle. We were flying over a swamp and I was twirling a flame through my fingers. The others looked vaguely bored.

"Hey, you takin' us down for a reason?" Sokka asked. I jerked my head up and the flame disappeared. Appa was descending toward the swamp. "Aang!" Aang flinched and looked around. "Why are we going down?"

"What? I didn't even notice" I crawled forward. We were still descending.

"Are you noticing now?" Sokka demanded.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but... I think the swamp is... calling to me"

"It is telling ya where we can get something to eat?" Sokka asked him.

"No, I... I think it wants us to land there"

"The swamp?" I asked.

"No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land there to land on" Sokka pointed out.

"I don't know... Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?" Aang said. I exchanged a look with Sokka and Katara.

"Yes!" Sokka cried as he looked over the edge of the saddle. Momo squeaked and flew over to land on my head. I chuckled and pulled him down.

"I don't know... There's something ominous about that place" Katara said hesitantly. Momo chittered nervously from my lap and Appa groaned.

"See" Sokka said. "Even Appa and Momo don't like it here"

"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this... bye swamp" Aang said. "Yip! Yip!" I rolled my eyes and crawled back to my spot. Momo squealed and I looked up. I screamed as I saw a tornado spinning after us.

"You better throw in an extra 'yip'! We gotta move!" Sokka yelled. Appa tried desperately to evade the tornado. The tornado was right on top of us. As the whirlwind bore down on us, Sokka was blown off the saddle. Katara and I caught his arms and held onto him. As Sokka screamed, Aang jumped out of the driver's seat and onto the saddle. He instantly created an air bubble around us and Appa, just as we were sucked into the tornado. Sokka fell back into the saddle as Aang struggled to keep out the whirlwind. Aang's barrier collapsed and we were engulfed in the tornado, which threw us out in all different directions. I groaned as I sat up. Aang disappeared, searching from Appa and Momo.

"Ugh. I never want to do that again" I moaned, rubbing my head.

"Sokka! You've got an elbow leech!" Katara cried.

"Where! Where!" he yelled, turning frantically. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms.

"Where do you think?" I asked. Sokka angrily ripped off the leech and threw it near Katara. "Why do things keep attaching to me!" Aang swung down from a vine to join us.

"You couldn't find them?" Katara asked.

"No... and the tornado... it just disappeared" he told us. Sokka pulled out his machete and began cutting through the vines and weeds, creating a path for us.

"We better speed things up!"

"Maybe... we should be a little nicer to the swamp" Aang suggested nervously.

"Aang, these are just plants! Do you want me to say 'please' and 'thank you' as I swing my machete back and forth?" Sokka asked. I smacked the back of his head.

"Maybe you should listen to Aang" Katara glanced around quickly. "Something about this place feels...alive"

"I'm sure there are lots of things that are alive here, and if we don't wanna wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can" Sokka told her.

* * *

I looked around the swamp nervously. Night had fallen and the swamp looked extremely creepy. I held my hand up higher and made the falme in my hand slightly bigger. The light from the flame stretched out further and I swallowed.

"Appa! Momo!" Katara called.

"There's no way they can hear us and no way we can see them. We'll have to make camp for the night" Sokka said. Sokka was suddenly surrounded by about a dozen swamp flies which he flailed at with his arms and machete. They went away just as a huge bubble of swamp gas burped from the muddy water beneath them. The gas rose up to us.

"What was that?" Katara cried.

"Nothing. Just swamp gas" The gas began to swirl about us. "Look, there's nothing supernatural going on here"

"Ugh!" we groaned as the smell reached our noses. A terrifying scream cut us off. I jumped and spun around. A white bird was sitting in one of the trees with a huge mouth. It screamed once more and flew off.

"I think we should build a fire..." Sokka murmured. Sokka ran over to some nearby tree or vine roots and started hacking them with his machete. I watched him nervously.

"Sokka, the longer we're here the more I think you shouldn't be doing that"

"No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine. Right, swamp?" He grabbed the root and began to shake as he faked a reply in a funny voice. "No problem, Sokka!" I bit my lip as Sokka placed the sticks down and then looked at me. I closed my eyes as I shot a flame at the sticks. They lit and Sokka grinned, pleased.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that we're being watched?" I asked as I created another flame and held it up.

"Please, we're all alone out here" Sokka scoffed. My eyes widened as I pointed behind them.

"...except for them" Aang muttered. They turned back to me with frightened faces and the eyes disappeared behind them. They grabbed each other in a group hug and I pulled my flame close.

"Right, except for them" Sokka swallowed.

* * *

I yawned and my flame flickered. I looked around at the others. They were asleep and the fire was slowly dying. I shot another flame into the pile of sticks and laid back, closing my eyes. A moment later, something wrapped around my ankle. I sat up and screamed as a vine wrapped its way up my torso. The others shot up and yelled as I was pulled away. I shrieked as I was dragged away from the others. I struggled to free my arms and I shot a flame at the vines and they crumbled into ash. I scrambled up and looked around frantically.

"Sokka? Katara? Aang?" I called. No answer. "Anybody?" I began to walk through the swamp, holding a flame high. I peered through the mist at the three figures in front of me. I stepped closer to see two Water Tribe women and a Fire Nation man. I gasped. The first Water Tribe woman had brown hair and beautiful ocean blue eyes. The Fire Nation man had coal black hair and bright golden eyes. "Mother? Father?" I asked, stepping forward. I locked my gaze on the other Water Tribe woman. Her hair was raven black and her eyes were sky blue. "Mom?" I choked back a sob as I ran forward. I cried out as I slammed into something hard and fell to the ground. I looked up at the tree stumps. My heart broke. It was just an illusion. I hugged my knees close and cried. I looked up as I heard splashing. I hurried toward the sound.I stumbled over a tree root and found myself rolling over Sokka. He yelped and tumbled down, landing on top of me. Two other figures joined the pile and I groaned, pushing at them. They all stood. Sokka pulled me up, but I continued to stare at my feet.

"What do you guys think you're doing! I've been looking all over for you!" Sokka growled.

"Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara told him.

"I was chasing some girl" Aang said.

"What girl?" Katara asked.

"I don't know. I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress" he said.

"Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get our invitations!" Sokka said sarcastically.

"I thought I saw Mom" Katara said quietly. I choked back a sob and they looked at me.

"I-I thought I saw Mom a-a-and my parents" I sniffed.

"Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here" I looked up at my brother.

"You saw something too" I said quietly.

"I thought I saw Yue. But, that doesn't prove anything. Look, I think about her all the time, and you both saw Mom, someone you miss a lot and Kimi, you also saw your parents who you never really knew, but wanted to"

"What about me? I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here" Aang said. I looked around.

"Okay... so where's here?" Katara asked. "The middle of the swamp?"

"Yeah, the center..." Aang said. I looked around and blinked. We were all standing in front of the largest tree ever. "It's the heart of the swamp, it's been calling us here, I knew it"

"It's just a tree. It can't call anyone! For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's nothing magical happening here" Sokka said, annoyed. At that moment a huge swamp monster, seemingly made of vines burst from the water. I xcreamed and clutched Sokka's arm as Katara and Aang hugged us, screaming their heads off. The monster had a very simple, carved wooden mask on its face. I swallowed as the vine monster swung at Aang. We broke apart and separated. The monster grabbed Sokka as he ran away and began swinging him around. Aang turned and knocked Sokka out of the monster's grip with a blast of air. Sokka fell into the water with a yell. The monster then knocked Aang way back with a sweep of its arm. The vines grabbed Sokka again. Katara shot a jet of water through the monster's shoulder and it dropped Sokka. I twirled my arms and spun in a circle, pushing my hands out. A circle of flames shot out and cut through the other arm. The monster turned to me, its reformed arm shooting out and grabbing me. I shrieked as I was lifted high into the air. I looked down in horror as I felt myself being pulled into the monster.

"GUYS! HELP!" I yelled. I saw the monster grab Sokka and then smack Katara away. Katara stood and breathed out, freezing the vines around me and Sokka. She propelled herself forward and grabbed us. Aang jumped through the air and landed on the monster's back. He jumped from the monster's back, landing in front of it. It blasted him away from us again. I pushed myself up, shaking my head to get the water out of my hair. Katara bent the water into loops and began to rapidly fire them at the monster, cutting through it. I inhaled deeply and sliced my arms down, sending a stream of fire at the monster, slicing through to the middle. I gasped. There was a man inside.

"There's someone in there! He's bending the vines!" I called. Katara twirled around in a bending move and sliced the mask and the head of the monster with a mighty lash of the water whip. The head and mask fell into the water as a bunch of vines grabbed Katara. Sokka watched as Aang flew back over to us and with a single blast of air blew away the rest of the monster to reveal a fat, leaf clad man.

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang asked angrily. The man dropped the rest of the vines.

"Wait! I didn't call you here"

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land"

"He's the Avatar. Stuff like that happens to us - a lot" Sokka told the man.

"The Avatar! Come with me" the man said. I slowly straightened out of my stance and watched the man warily as he led us through the swamp.

* * *

"So, who are you then?" Katara asked as Hue bent a vine out of our way.

"I protect the swamp from folks that want to hurt it" He let Aang and Katara pass, and then looked at Sokka as we passed him. "Like this fellow with his big knife and this girl with her fire" I swallowed and looked down. Hue studied me for a moment and I hastily bent the water into a small stream around me. His eyes widened.

"You can bend water and fire?" he asked incredulously. I nodded and he continued on, muttering to himself.

"See? Completely reasonable. Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his home. Nothing mystical about it" Sokka said.

"Oh, the swamp is a mystical place, all right. It's sacred. I reached enlightenment right here under the banion grove tree" He sat on a root. "I hear it callin' me, just like you did"

"Sure ya did" Sokka said sarcastically. "It seems real chatty"

"See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles..." Hue explained. I looked around. "Branches spread and sink and take root and then spread some more - one big living organism, just like the entire world"

"I get how the tree is one big thing, but, the whole world?" Aang asked.

"Sure. You think you're any different from me? Or your friends? Or this tree? If you listen hard enough you can hear every living thing breathing together, you can feel everything growing. We're all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree" I bit my lip. All the same? I don't think so.

"But what did our visions mean?" Katara asked.

"In the swamp we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved..." Hue started. I swallowed thinking back to my vision of Mom and my parents. "...folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not" I swallowed. "We're still connected to'em. Time is an illusion, and so is death"

"But what about my vision It was someone I had never met" Aang told Hue.

"You're the Avatar. You tell me" Hue smiled.

"Time is an illusion...so, it's...someone I will meet?" Aang asked, looking up at Hue. Hue smiled and winked at Aang.

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson, but we still need to find Appa and Momo" Sokka said, standing up.

"I think I know how to find them" Aang leaned forward and placed his hand on the tree root. He closed his eyes. "Everything is connected" The arrow tattoo on Aang's hand began to glow. Aang stood suddenly, the glow fading.

"Come on! We've got to hurry!"

* * *

I grimaced as I looked at the food. We had rescued Appa and Momo from them and we realized they were waterbenders.

"How you like that possum chicken?" Due asked.

"Tastes just like arctic hen" Sokka said. I hesitantly took a bite. Huh, he was right. I licked my lips. I missed Water Tribe food. "So why were you guys so interested in eating Appa?" He pointed at the catfish crocodile. "You've got plenty of those big things wandering around"

"You want me to eat old Slim? He's like a member of the family!" Due exclaimed. He took a fish off his kabob and tossed it at Slim, who ate it in one bite.

"Nice Slim!" Due said. Sokka threw a piece of roasted insect at Slim, but it bounced off his mouth. Slim turned and growled at Sokka, who recoiled in terror.

"Oh, he don't eat no bugs! That's people food" Due explained. I gagged.

"Where d'you say you're from?" Tho asked.

"The South Pole" Katara and I said.

"Didn't know there was waterbenders anywhere but here. They got a nice swamp there, do they?" Tho asked.

"No, it's all ice and snow" Katara told him. Tho and Due looked surprised.

"Hmm. No wonder you left" Tho muttered. Sokka turned to me and Katara.

"Well, I hope you realize now that nothing strange was going on here. Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp"

"What about the visions?" Katara retorted.

"I told you, we were hungry. I'm eating a giant bug!" I turned away as he took a huge bite out of the bug.

"But what about when the tree showed me where Appa and Momo were?" Aang asked.

"That's Avatar stuff, that doesn't count. The only thing I can't figure out is how you made that tornado that sucked us down" Sokka said, turning to Hue.

"I can't do anything like that. I just bend the water in the plants" Hue said.

"Well, no accounting for weather. Still, there's absolutely nothing mysterious about the swamp" Sokka said. I rolled my eyes and patted Momo's head as he landed on my lap.


	5. The Blind Bandit

**Author's Note**: So Avatar Day always annoyed me so I decided to skip it. Anyways, enjoy! :)

**Blind Bandit**

"It's pricey, but I really do like it" Sokka said as he looked at the green shoulder bag.

"Then you should get it. You deserve something nice" Katara told him.

"I do, don't I?" he said to himself. I rolled my eyes and continued to look around. "But no. It's too expensive, I shouldn't"

"Alright, then don't" Katara huffed. Aang stood and they started to leave. I fingered the shirt of green linen. It was had beautiful stiching embroidered around the hem and the ends of the sleeves. I bit my lip and looked at the matching tunic of dark green and brown pants. A brown leather belt hung beside the outfit. The fabric was strudy and smooth. Katara appeared by my side. "It's pretty" I looked at her and she smiled before taking the outfit off the hook and bringing it over to the shop keeper. "I'd like this" Katara said. Sokka hurried over with the bag and put it with the clothes. He grinned goofily as the shopkeeper told Katara the price. She nodded and handed over the money. Sokka hugged his bag to his chest while I slowly took the clothes from my sister. "It's not fair that we had a chance to pack and you didn't" she said quietly. I hugged her tightly.

"You're the best sister ever" I mumbled before rushing off to the changing room. I quickly changed and looked at myself in the mirror. My strange eyes stared back out at me. The sleeves reached my elbows and left my forearms bare. I tied the leather belt around my waist and smiled before walking out. Katara stood there. She held up a pair of soft brown slippers. I slipped them on and left, thanking the shopkeeper.

"Psst, psst. Hey, you kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy" a man said. He handed Aang a flyer and left.

"Look, there's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free" Aang said. I peered over his shoulder at the flyer.

"Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for" I said, tipping my head to one side, the beads in my hair clinking together. I smiled and tilted my head again. I had braided my hair into many smaller braids and added a couple beads to the end of each one. I had gotten several complements from some ladies that walked around the small town.

* * *

"He's not the one" Aang muttered as he came out of the Earthbending school.

"I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6" I stood straighter and watched the two students walk past.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ" the second boy said.

"Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?" Aang asked.

"It's on the Island of Noneoya - none o' ya business!" the first boy retorted. They both laughed and walked away. Sokka laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Ha, ha! Oh, I got to remember that one"

"I'll take care of this" Katara told Aang. I watched her hurry off with a raised eyebrow. "Hey strong guys, wait up!"

"What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag. Why'd you let me buy this?" Sokka dropped his bag and I sighed before bending down to pick it up. Momo leapt over my head and landed on the bag. He chittered happily as he curled up to sleep.

"You ready to find an earthbending teacher? Because we're going to Earth Rumble 6!" Katara said as she jogged up to us.

"How did you get them to tell you?" Aang asked in disbelief.

"Oh, a girl has her ways" she said coyly. I raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Hey, front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here" Aang said as we sat the large open area. A moment later, I looked up and yelped as I dove to the side. A massive boulder slammed into the seats where I had just been, showering us with dust and debris.

"I guess that's why" Sokka said, pushing me off his lap. I shakily stood and sat back down.

"You know what guys, this isn't really my thing" I told them. I didn't want to admit it to them, but ever since we left General Fong's, I was slightly afraid of earthbending. "I'm, uh, going to go, uh, walk around for a little bit" Katara studied me for a moment.

"Okay, have fun" Aang said brightly. I swallowed and left quickly. I looked around for a place to eat and hurried over to a small tea shop.

"Jasmine please" I said to the man. I handed him a copper coin and he passed a small cup of jasmine tea down to me. I took a small sip and grimaced. Blech, it was cold! I walked away, slowly heating my hand to heat the tea. I took another sip and smiled. Much better. I saw the two boys from earlier. They caught sight of me and walked over.

"Hey there" the first one said. "What's a pretty thing like you doing walking around by yourself?" I snorted and continued walking.

"Hey, we were talking to you" the second boy growled, grabbing my arm. I spun around, my tea cup crashing to the ground.

"Don't touch me" I hissed.

"Or what?" he asked. I whipped my hands in a circular motion and water flew out of the barrels on either side of me, pouring straight at the two boys. They yelled as they were sent tumbling backwards. They both scowled and moved together to send a wave of rocks at me. I jumped high into the air, twisting my body so that I landed in front of them. I bent the water so that it twisted around the boys. I pushed it closer to them before breathing out. My breath misted out, freezing the water. The two boys scowled at me.

"Let us go!" the first boy yelled.

"No" I said simply, tuning on my heel and walking away. I stopped at a small food place. I walked up to the counter. A middle aged woman stood behind the counter.

"What can I get you?" she asked. I peered down at the menu.

"A bowl of noodles and a cup of rice with a glass of water" I said. The lady disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a small bag. I looked in to see two covered containers of food along with a covered cup of water. I bowed to the lady before handing her a silver piece. I walked over to a small table and opened the container of noddles.

* * *

"I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly" I rolled my eyes as I walked up behind them.

"That is a big relief" Katara muttered sarcastically. I took a running leap and jumped onto Sokka's back. He yelped and stumbled.

"Kimi!" he exclaimed.

"Hi!" I said brightly.

"Did you have fun?" Katara asked. I nodded.

"Why did you even leave?" Sokka asked as he adjusted his grip on my legs. I swallowed.

"I just didn't feel like being there" I said.

"But we were there to find a teacher for Aang" he said.

"I-I know, but I, um, I just...it just wasnt my kind of thing" I finished weakly. Sokka dropped me and turned to face me.

"Kimi, what's going on? You've been acting kinda weird for awhile now" he said. I didn't want to tell them about my nightmares filled with flame and compressing spaces. Zhao cackling madly at me as fire spilled from his hands and Fong laughing as the earth shifted and moved closer to me.

"Um..."

"You've been having nightmares" Aang stated. I paled as I looked at him. "You've woken me up a couple times" he told me. I swallowed.

"Kimi, why didn't you us?" Sokka asked.

"I didn't want you to worry" I mumbled.

"What are they about?" he demanded. I kept my eyes on the ground as I told them. The three of them stepped forward and wrapped me in a very tight group hug.

"Can't breathe" I gasped. They released me and then told me what I missed at the tournament.

"If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start" Aang said. We entered the gate of Master Yu's academy once again. I saw the two boys I had froze punching dirt contained in two huge pots. They looked up as we entered.

"Oh great, you again" the first boy said. I stepped forward at the same time as Katara. I looked at her curiously as they flinched back.

"Yeah, I didn't think so" she said.

"Hey, you're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit" the second boy said, walking up to Aang.

"We need to talk to her. Do you guys know where she lives?" Aang asked.

"The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears"

"Let me handle this" Katara said. "You're not telling us everything!"

"No no, I swear it's true! No one knows where she goes, or who she really is" the second boy cried, raising his hnds up.

"That's because we're asking about the wrong person. In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world" the firsy boy told us.

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter" the second one added.

"Flying boar is good enough for me. Let's check it out" Aang said to us.

* * *

We stood before a beautiful, walled country estate with a lovely garden and many ponds. A gate tilted up to reveal a crest with a flying boar emblazoned upon it.

"That's the flying boar from my vision. Come on" Aang said. We followed him around the wall as he airbended himself over it. Sokka and Katara climbed over while I used a short blast of fire to shoot myself over the wall. Suddenly a huge surge of earth threw us all into the air. We yelled as we landed unceremoniously, Sokka onto the ground and Aang and Katara into nearby bushes. I landed on Sokka and he groaned.

"Now you know what it feels like" I groaned as I rolled off him.

"What are you doing here, twinkle toes?" I turned to look at the small girl. She had black hair pulled back in a large bun and she wore a pretty white dress. A pattern of pale green flowers wrapped around it. As I looked in her face, I realized her eyes were milky white. She was the blind girl.

"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked.

"Don't answer to twinkle toes. It's not manly!" Sokka whined. I smacked the back of his head.

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt" Katara commented.

"How did you find me?" the girl asked.

"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and..." Katara cut him off.

"What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord" The girl stuck her hand in Katara's face.

"Not my problem. Now get out of here or I'll call the guards" she said.

"Please-" Sokka spoke over me and I scowled.

"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending" The girl's face changed to distraught.

"Guards! Guards, help!" she yelled. I used firebending to propel myself over the wall, grabbing the back of Sokka and Katara's shirts as I went. Aang followed using his airbending.

* * *

I looked around the table nervously. Lao Bei Fong sat at the head of the table with Toph, Poppy Bei Fong, and Master Yu sitting on one side and Aang, me, Katara, and Sokka on the other. I pushed the rice around on my plate and looked up as a steaming bowl of soup was placed in front of Toph.

"Blow on it. It's too hot for her" Lao ordered.

"Allow me" Aang said. Aang created a small whirlwind which zoomed across the table and spun over her dish for a moment before disappearing. Everyone clapped.

"Oh my!" Yu exclaimed.

"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us" Poppy said.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked.

"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first" Aang said, shooting a look at Toph.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little" Lao said. I looked over at her curiously.

"Then she must be a great earthbender, probably good enough to teach someone else" I felt the earth shift under my feet and I yelped, leaping up as Aang hopped out of his seat.

"Ow!" he cried.

"Miss Kimiko, are you alright?" Poppy asked. I swallowed before hesitantly sitting down.

"I'm terribly sorry, I thought I felt something" I said quietly before quickly forking a piece of meat into my mouth.

"Toph is still learning the basics" Yu explained.

"Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master" Lao said unhappily. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is" Aang said. I saw the look on Toph's face and quickly lifted my feet. Aang's chair was knocked backwards, sending his face into his bowl. I exchanged a horrified look with Katara and Sokka. Aang wiped his face off as he smiled. My eyes widened as his face contorted. He sneezed, sending food all over Toph, Poppy, and Yu. Toph stood, her anger evident.

"What's your problem?" she demanded.

"What's your problem?" Aang retorted.

"Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert then?" Poppy asked diplomatically.

* * *

I sat back on one of the beds provided for us in the guest room. Sokka was lying on his side and Katara sat on a green couch. Aang was standing in front of a large window where I could clearly see Appa's face.

"Good night, buddy" Aang said. I looked up as Aang assumed an airbending stance. Toph stood with her back to the door frame.

"Relax. Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, ok?" she said. I exchanged a look with Aang and he nodded.

"Would you mind showing Aang and I the gardens? They look beautiful from here" I said, standing and walking over to her. She gave me a small smile and led Aang and I outside. We were quiet as she led us through the house. She began to speak as we walked over a bridge over a small brook. Aang and I walked on the bridge and Toph walked along the guardrail. The full moon shone over us.

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing" She jumped off the guardrail and landed lightly on the ground.

"I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants" I squinted through the dark to find the ants she was talking about, but couldn't see anything.

"That's amazing" Aang said.

"My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless" she grumbled.

"Is that why you became The Blind Bandit?" I asked.

"Yeah" she answered.

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?" Aang asked.

"They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?"

"You could come with us"

"Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life" She jerked her head up and spun around, as if sensing something. She knelt down and placed a hand on the ground. "We're being ambushed" Toph grabbed my arm and then Aang's and ran, dragging us with her. Someone burst out of the ground and slid into a stance. I scowled before assuming my stance, fire flickering across my palms. Two metal boxes dropepd down, trapping Aang and Toph. Each had a window with metal bars for their faces. I narrowed my eyes at the boxes and the flames in my hands grew hotter and brighter. I aimed at the boxes just as something hit me from behind. I crashed down to the ground with a yelp of pain. I looked up at the large man as he grinned toothily at me. I pushed myself up, kicking my feet out, sending streams of flame at the man. He stomped the ground and lifted his hands, a wall of rock rising up to protect. I froze as I stared at the wall of earth. Someone grabbed me from behind and metal shackles were slapped onto my wrists and another pair on my ankles. Another metal box dropped down and covered me. My breath hitched as I realized how close together the walls of the box were. I barely heard the words being exchanged outside the box as my breathing came faster and faster. It was too tight, everything was too tight. I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing as we were dragged away.

* * *

"You think you're so tough..." I heard Toph say. "...why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?"

"I'm not smiling" Xin Fu said.

"Toph!" I opened my eyes and peered through the bars to see Sokka, Katara, Lao Bei Fong, and Master Yu coming toward the stage.

"Here's your money. Now let them go" Sokka said, holding up a green bag. He dropped the bag and Yu kicked it over to Xin Fu with an earthbending move. Xin Fu picked up the bag. He turned and gave a signal. I watched as Toph's box was lowered to the ground. The bottom opened and she fell to the ground. She scrambled up and ran to her father. He put his hand on her shoulder and led her away, Master Yu in tow.

"What about Aang and Kimiko?" Katara demanded. Xin Fu unrolled something and I had a horrible feeling is a wanted picture.

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar and the dual bender. Now, get out of my ring" I started to feel compressed again and closed my eyes. I heard more people come into the ring.

"Go. I'll be ok" I heard Aang tell them. I trembled with fear. A few minutes later I heard a voice that made me sigh with relief.

"Let him go. I beat you all before, and I'll do it again" Toph called.

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment" I peered out of the box again at the buff man. Did he just refer to himself in third person? I screamed as my box was tossed threw the air and landed with acrash by my siblings. Another crash indicated Aang's box had landed beside me. I pushed my hands out, pressing them against the metal. I concentrated on heating my hands. The metal glowed red and slwoly started to melt. I winced a piece dripped onto my arm. I shimmied out of the way and continued to melt the metal. I heard the sounds of fighting outside the box. My hands pushed their out of the box and exhaled. I gripped the edges and pulled. The heated metal peeled back like butter. I blew out a freezing breath. The metal froze and brought my knee up causing it to shatter. I jumped out of the box and took deep breaths. Sokka and Katara looked up at me.

"You're okay!" Sokka exclaimed as Katara hugged me. Sokka grinned before going back to hammering at the lock on Aang's box. I breathed on the shackles around my wrists and they slowly froze. I winced at the cold before jerking my hands apart, breaking the metal. I stumbled over to Aang's cage and whipped my hand around, sending a fireball at the lock. It melted immediately and the bottom of Aang's cage open. He popped out, ready to fight. Katara froze my ankle shackles and Sokka smashed them with the rock. I grinned. I turned to look at the arena as one of the men flew past me and off the ring. There was only one opponent left. Xin Fu. I watched as Xin Fu launched a single boulder, then two, then another single, then three and a final single rock at her in quick succession. She raised two triangular sheets of rock in front of her as a shield. The rocks bounced off her shield. After the last one struck, she launched one of the two shields at Xin Fu. It missed as he launched himself into the air to avoid it. He spun in mid air and his hand hand dug into the earth below. He scooped a chunk of earth out of the floor of the arena and threw it at her. She dodged and it passed by her face. She quickly returned fire and Xin Fu wasblasted out of the ring. I grinned as Sokka fainted.

* * *

"Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me"

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something" Lao said.

"It has?" Toph asked, the hopeful tone of her voice making me sit up straighter as I looekd at Lao.

"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day" I gaped at him.

"But dad!" Toph exclaimed.

"We are doing this for your own good, Toph" Poppy told her.

"Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here" Lao ordered his guards.

"I'm sorry, Toph" Aang said.

"I'm sorry, too. Goodbye, Aang. Goodbye Kimi"

"Goodbye" I whispered.

* * *

"Don't worry. We'll find you a teacher" Katara said as we climbed onto Appa. "There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there"

"Not like her" Aang said. I heard the sound of running and I turned to look around. I grinned.

"Toph!" I exclaimed.

"Toph! What are you doing here?" Aang asked as she ran up to us.

"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world" she told us.

"Well, we'd better get out of here - before your dad changes his mind again" Sokka said. I smiled at her from Appa.

"Good idea" Toph said.

"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph" Aang said.

"Speaking of which, I want to show you something" I watched as Aang airbended himself down to the ground. Toph tapped the ground and a rock erupted from the earth, shooting Aang into a tree. "Now we're even" She held her hand up. "Um, I'll take the belt back" Sokka unhooked the belt and dropped it to her. I winced as it hit her head.

"Ow!" she cried.

"Sorry" he called. I smiled contentedly and laid back in Appa's saddle as Aang and Toph climbed up. Appa took off and soared throught the sky.


	6. The Chase

**Author's Note:** I decided to skip Zuko Alone since Kimi isn't in it...anywhoodles, enjoy!

* * *

**The Chase**

_I twisted and turned as I tried to find my friends._

_"Sokka! Katara! Aang!" I called. There was darkness all around me. I felt cold and compressed. I shuddered and started walking forward. Laughter caused me to turn around. My eyes widened as I saw General Fong standing behind me._

_"Good night Fire Nation" he yelled. I screamed as I sank into the earth._

_"NOOO!" I screamed. I gasped as I found myself in a small Fire Nation village. I screeched a pain erupted across my back and I was thrown through the air. I gasped as I turned. A wall of water was rushing towards me. I was pushed under as I struggled to breathe. I blacked out for a moment. When I opened my eyes, I was in a room, surrounded by flames. I turned, searching frantically for my friends. "Help! Sokka! Katara! Aang!" Tears streamed down my face. "Somebody, please, help me!" A low, evil chuckle sounded through the room. I spun around and screamed in pain as flames washed over my body._

_"Hello Kimiko" Zhao cackled. "Ready to play with fire?" Flames continued to lick my skin, burning me. My screams reverberated around the room._

_"Kimi, wake up. Wake up"_

I screamed as I shot up, sweat covering my body. I took a great, shuddering breath and looked up, meeting Sokka's blue eyes.

"Kimi, what happened?" he asked. Katara and Aang hovered over his shoulders, peering down at me worriedly. I noticed Toph, shuffling around behind them.

"It's nothing" I murmured.

"She's lying" Toph called. I glared at her.

"How do you know?" Katara asked.

"Her heartbeat just elevated" Toph told her. "I can feel it" I scowled.

"So not cool" I muttered. Sokka gripped my shoulders.

"Kimi, you were screaming and thrashing" Sokka said quietly. "What happened?" I drew my knees up to my chest.

"Fong, Jet, and Zhao" I whispered. Katara gasped and knelt beside me.

"Who?" Toph asked as she came closer.

"Zhao was a Fire Nation who was chasing us. He died at the Northern Water Tribe. However, before he died, he captured Kimi and tortured her" Sokka told her. "She has these scars on her arms from him"

"And Fong and Jet?"

"An Earth Kingdom General who was supposed to escort us to Omashu to meet up with King Bumi, but he wanted to try and force Aang into the Avatar State"

"What's that?"

"It's this powerful state where I can use the knowledge from all the past Avatars" Aang told her.

"And Fong wanted to use it. So he attacked Aang while we were stayhing at his base, but Aang couldn't do it, so Fong used his earthbending to make Katara and Kimiko sink into the ground" Sokka continued. Toph gasped. I shuddered and buried my face in my knees. "Kimi is afraid of small spaces because of an accident when we were younger. She was trapped in a ice cave near our home" Toph moved closer. Katara began to rub my back.

"Are-Are you afraid of earthbending?" Toph asked. I lifted my head up and looked at her.

"A little" I mumbled. She frowned.

"What about Jet?" Toph asked. I felt Katara tense. This time I explained.

"We met him and his Freedom Fighters as we were traveling to the North Pole. He despised the Fire Nation because they burned down his village and killed his parents. When he found out I was a firebender, he really didn't like me, but didn't say anything against because of the others. He took me away in the middle of the night and tied me up with some barrels of blasting jelly. He was rigging a dam to explode and wipe out a Fire Nation village. I managed to get out of my bonds, but the barrels exploded and burned my back. I was thrown away and into the village. The water swept over me and it was a struggle to keep me head above the water. Finally, I washed up on the shore of the river where the villagers were. Sokka had warned them just in time. They helped me and one of the soliders let me use his rhino to get up to my friends" Toph visibly swallowed.

"Kimiko, try and get back to sleep" Katara murmured. I nodded and laid my head in her lap. She stroked my hair and I was lulled back to sleep

* * *

I yawned as I slid down Appa's tail. I giggled as I landed in something soft. I looked down. There was a bunch of white fur around Appa's feet. Aang passed stuff down to Sokka from the saddle. Katara walked around Appa's head to join him. Toph walked up.

"Hey, you guys picked a great campsite. The grass is so soft"

"That's not grass. Appa's shedding" Sokka told her.

"Oh, gross!" Katara cried.

"That's not gross; it's just a part of spring" Aang said happily. "You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat!"

"Ah, the beauty of spring" Katara said. Appa sneezed, blowing fur everywhere. "Stop, Appa, stop!" I chuckled and patted his nose.

"Who's a good boy?" I cooed. He groaned and I laughed.

"It's not that bad, Katara" I looked over at Sokka to see he had piled the hair high on his head. "It makes a great wig!"

"And a great beard!" Aang added as he revealed a white mustache and beard.

"I'm just glad we finally have another girl in the group because you two are disgusting"

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "What am I? Chopped seal jerky?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. I narrowed my eyes playfully as I tackled her to the ground. "Tickle Attack!" I yelled. Her eyes widened as I mercilessly tickled her sides.

"Ah! Stop! Kimiko, please!" she gasped through her laughter. I grinned mischeiovusly as I rolled off her. She pushed herself up and looked over at Toph.

"Excuse me, does anyone have a razor..." I snorted as she lifted both arms to reveal a mass of white fur emerging out of both of her sleeves, under her arms. "...because I've got some hairy pits!" I laughed along iwth them until Aang sneezed, thrusting him backwards into Appa's leg and then falling face down on the ground. He lifted his head to reveal his beard and mustache are gone but he now had a large mass of fur sticking jaggedly up on his back. Katar quickly joined us in laughing.

* * *

I huffed as I shifted the wood in my arms. Sokka snickered beside me and I kicked his shin.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded.

"You snickered" I said simply. He scowled and I grinned. We dropped the firewood once we reached camp and began to set up a fire as Aang set up the tents and Katara prepared a pot of water. I glnced over my shoulder to see Toph laying lazily against a rock with her legs crossed, arms behind her head, and a piece of straw casually hanging from her mouth. I shuddered as an image of Jet flashed through my head. I watched Katara stand and walk over to her. I frowned and turned back to the wood. Sokka was looking at me expectantly. I grinned and stood. I slid into a stance and began to twirl my arms until I had a ring of fire in front of me. I threw my hands into the air, sending it up in a spiral. I swung my arms down and the fire swirled down until it converged into a funnel. The fire hit the wood, lighting it. I spun the rest of the fire around me in a circle and then with a clap of my hands, it flickered out. Sokka and Aang clapped. I grinned and bowed. As I straightened, I saw Katara talking to Toph.

"...some of us might fetch water while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent. Even Momo does his fair share" she said as Momo dropped some nuts in her hand.

"Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look" She sat up and used earthbending to create a stone tent. "My tent's all set up"

"Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish..."

"I don't understand. What's the problem here?"

"Never mind" She stalked off and I sighed in exaperation.

* * *

I snorted as Aang attempted to airbend Appa's baster down to Sokka, but accidentally dropped it on him. I was still laughing as I helped lifty the basket off him. Sokka stuck his tongue out at me and I pushed him down. He scrambled up and stepped toward me. I squealed and ran, Sokka right at my heels. Suddenly, I was tackled to the ground. I squealed again as he began to tickle me.

"Aah! Sokka, stop! Please!" I gasped. He stopped and peered down at me. Just then, I reached upand pushed him off, rolling over so I pinned him down and began to tickle him.

"Gah! You tricked me! Not fair!"

"It's so fair" I told him as he squirmed beneath me. I grinned mischeivously before rolling off and walking over to the pot water.

"Hey Toph, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think we're all just a little tired and getting on each others' nerves" I heard Katara say to Toph.

"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired" I peered over at them and got a good look at Katara's aggravated face.

"I meant all of us"

"Well, goodnight"

"Goodnight"

* * *

"There's something coming toward us!" I shook off the lsat wisps of sleep as I crawled out of the tent I shared with Sokka and Katara.

"What is it?" Aang asked. I looked up at Toph as I yawned. Toph knelt and pressed her hand to the ground.

"It feels like an avalanche...but also not like an avalanche" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Your powers of perception are frightening" Sokka commented drily. I cuffed the back of his head and he huffed.

"Should we leave?" Katara asked.

"Better safe than sorry" Aang said. We quickly packed up and boarded Appa. I shifted in the saddle to look behind us. There was something moving rapidly in our direction across an open area of ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust in its wake.

"What is that thing?" I asked.

* * *

I struggled to stay awake as we flew through the air. We were passing over a range of hills when Appa descended, landing on one of the hills below. Toph jumped out of the saddle and landed lightly on the ground.

"Ahh, land, sweet land! See you guys in the morning!" she called as she set up her tent.

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked.

"Really? You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" Toph asked. I roleld my eyes as Sokka sniffed his sleeping bag and twitched in disgust before falling over.

"Well, yeah. That and everything else. You're a part of our team now and..."

"Look. I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight"

"That's not the point" Katara said her hands on her hips. "Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful" I bit my lip and my eyes darter back and forth between them.

"What?" Toph turned and pointed at Katara. "Look here, sugar queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!"

"Sugar Queen!" Katara exclaimed. Toph closed off her rock tent by brining a slab of earth up to cover the opening to Katara. "D-Did you just slam the door in my face!" I exchanged a wary look with Sokka and Aang. "How can you be so infuriating!"

"Should we... do something?" Aang asked.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show" Sokka told him. I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm. He mock glared at me as I lokoed over at Aang.

"They both just need to blow off some steam" I said. "Although this isn't the way, but if we get in the middle of it, they'll turn it on us" I told him. He hesitated as he looked over at Katara pounding on the stone 'door'. He walked up and samcked my forehead in frustration. "Idiot"

"Okay, okay, you both need to calm down" he said.

"Both?" She turned quickly to face him. "I'm completely calm!" Aang backed away slowly.

"I... can see that" he said cautiously.

* * *

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight" I roleld over on the ground and glared at Katara.

"Katara if you don't shut up right now, so help me I will smother you when you sleep!" I growled. She ignored me and continued.

"Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" I groaned as a rumble of earth emerged from Toph's tent and crawled quickly across the ground, striking Katara's sleeping bag causing it to fly upwards and land on top of Sokka.

"Thank you Toph!" I called. Sokka pushed Katara off of him and onto me. I yelped and shoved her off me. "Thanks Sokka" I said sarcastically.

"You're welcome" he replied. The stone 'door' from Toph's tent fell down and she crawled out.

"That thing is back!"

"Well, how far away is it?" Sokka asked as he covered his head. "Maybe we can close our eyes just for a few minutes" I noticed smoke rising up in the distance.

"I don't think so, Sokka" Aang said. I groaned as we threw our stuff onto Appa's saddle and climbed on.

"Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara asked.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph added.

"I don't know, but this time I'm going to make sure we lose 'em" Aang said. Finally, Appa landed on a large circular patch of land on a hill. As soon as he landed, he fell over on his side spilling us out onto the ground. Aang, Katara, Toph, and I simply stayed lying where we fell, while Sokka pulled out his sleeping bag and stuffed himself in it.

"Okay, forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep" he said. I murmured my agreement as I pulled a bag over to used as a pillow.

"That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway" Katara huffed. Ugh, not again.

"Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed" Toph retorted.

"Come on guys, there's something after us and we don't even know what or who it is"

"It could be Zuko. We haven't seen him since the North Pole" Katara said.

"I don't think so" I said. Wait, why was I defending him? He burned me! Then why wasn't he in my nightmares with all the others that hurt me?

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world"

"He not a freak" I said hotly. "He just has family problems"

"Why are you defending him?" Sokka asked. I looked up at the sky.

"I don't know" I mumbled.

"And anyway, what's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara asked.

"This is a warrior's wolf tail" he said, his voice muffled by the dirt.

"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky!" she responded.

"Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here. So... now would everyone just shhh!" Momo jumped on my chest and I groaned.

"Ugh, Momo, go away. I wanna sleep"

"Kimiiiii" Sokka whined.

"Shut up you" I grumbled. Momo jumped again and chirped loduly in my ear. I shoved him off, but he jumped on me again. I saw Aang stand.

"Aww, don't tell me..." Sokka started. Toph and Katara stood. I scowled and picked Momo up as I stood.

"That's impossible. There's no way they could have tracked us" Aang said in disbelief.

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph exclaimed.

"Let's get out of here!" Katara suggested.

"Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are. Who knows, maybe they're friendly" I rubbed my eyes and looked at Aang.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Always the optimist" Sokka grunted. The machine stopped in front of us. The side of the final compartment opened. White smoke poured out and a ramp descended. Three figures descended from the ramp out of the smoke, the middle one in the lead. They rode giant lizards. My eyes nearly popped out my head. It was three girls from Omashu. The Fire Nation Princess, Azula, and her two friends, or as I had named them, Gloomy Girl and Pink Girl.

"It's those three girls from Omashu!" Katara exclaimed.

"We can take 'em. Three on four" Toph smirked.

"Actually, Toph, there's five of us" Sokka pointed out.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can still fight!" he huffed.

"Okay. Three on four plus Sokka" The three girls were moving up the hill. Toph jabbed her fists in the air three times, while on the third opening her palms. A large rumble of earth descended down from her, blasting rock everywhere. The girls simply rode over each rock formation.

"Well, we wanted to find out who they were. We found out. Now let's get out of here" Sokka said, sheating his boomerang. I turned and ran back toward Appa. I looked over my shoulder to see Toph hadn't moved. She stomped the ground and a large wall of earth rose up to block the three girls. I screamed in shock as a burst of blue electricity blew the wall apart. Gloomy Girl shot four arrows out and Toph dodged by using the earht to push her up and into the saddle.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang cried.

"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu" Katara said.

"I still think we could've taken them" Toph grunted.

"Are you kidding? The crazy blue firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary" Katara shuddered.

"Oh no, the sun is rising!" Sokka moaned. "We've been up all night with no sleep"

"Sokka, we'll be okay" Aang reassured him.

"Are you sure! I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!" He waved his arm frantically and I cuffed the back of his head lightly.

"Stop freaking out" I yawned.

"Every time we land, those girls are there, so we'll just have to keep flying" Katara said.

"We can't keep flying forever" Aang told her.

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Aang yawned.

"Don't know... too tired to think" Toph grumbled.

"I'm sure we'll come up with something after a short nap" Katara murmured.

"Yes! Sleep!" Sokka cried. I rolled my eyes and then screeched as I realized I was rising from the saddle. I looked down to see Appa was falling. Sokka grabbed my hand and then Katara's.

"Toph!" I cried. She reached her hand up and I grabbed it, clinging to her desperately as we fell.

"What's going on?!" Toph yelled.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang shouted. Sokka pulled himself closer to me and then pulled Katara to him. He hugged the both of us tightly. "Wake up, buddy!" Appa suddenly stopped at the top of the tree line. I yelped as we fell into the saddle, Sokka and Katara on top of me. Appa then raced forward, crashing through the trees. I closed my eyes until we came to a complete stop. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Appa had created trench through the treeline. "Appa's exhausted"

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep" Sokka said.

"Of course, we could have gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues" Katara said.

"What!" Toph exclaimed.

"Alright, alright! Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest" Aang tried, always the peacekeeper.

"No! I want to hear what Katara has to say. You think I have issues?" Toph demanded.

"I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could've set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep and then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"You're blaming me for this!" Aang zipped in between them.

"No, no! She's not blaming you!" he cried.

"No, I'm blaming her!"

"I never asked you for diddly doo da. I carry my own weight!" she shouted. "Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here!"

"What? You're blaming Appa?" Aang yelled.

"Yeah! You wanna know how they keep finding us?" She grabbed a bunch of hair and let it blow away in the breeze. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

"How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame, it's you! You're always talking about how you carry your own weight, but you're not! He is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying when it was just the four of us!"

"STOP!" I screamed. They all jumped and turned to look at me. "Look we are all exhausted and saying stuff we don't mean. PLease, we just need to get some sleep"

"As if you're one to talk" Katara sneered. I looked up at her.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You're not responsible at all! When Mom died, you went off and had fun with Sokka while I was left to take care of the two of you! You didn't care that she died! You never really cared about her!" I gasped. It felt as though she stabbed an icy dagger into my heart.

"How dare you!" I screamed. "I watched her die! How dare you say I never cared, that I never loved her! She was my mom too!"

"No she wasn't! Your parents died, they were killed! They were killed by the Fire Nation! You're nation! And they killed my mom!" I felt tears spring to my eyes. "Not only that, but your the one who's always getting hurt and delaying the mission!"

"Fine! If I'm just dead weight, then I'll leave!" I snatched my bag from the pile and began to walk toward the forest.

"I'm outta here" I heard Toph growl.

"Wait" Sokka said, stepping in front of us. Toph tapped the ground and Sokka was pushed to the side. We disappeared into the trees. I felt the tears streaming down my face. Toph took my hand as we walked, squeezing it gently.

* * *

Katara's POV

I stared at the trees in shock.

"What did I just do!" Aang moaned.

"What did you do?" I asked softly. "What did I do?!"

"I can't believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher. Now she's gone"

"I can't believe I said that...to Kimiko!" I cried.

"I know" I looked up at Sokka to see him standing away from us, his arms crossed. "You were both rude and horrible"

"We need to find them and apologize" I said, not bothering to retort. He was right, I had just driven away my sister. I had said terrible things and now I needed to fix it.

"Okay, but what are we going to do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?" Sokka asked.

"I have a plan" Aang said.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

"You know, she didn't mean it" Toph whispered. I looked down at her. "Neither of them did. You were right. We were all tired and we were saying stuff we didn't mean"

"She still said it" I mumbled. Suddenly, she twisted to the side and earthbent, causing a rumble of earth to jet across the ground to her left.

"Ohhh... That really hurt my tailbone" I smiled as I recognized the voice.

"Iroh?" I asked as I stepped around the rock.

"Kimi?"

"You two know each other?" Toph asked as she straightened and joined me. I blushed.

"Yeah, his nephew kinda kidnapped me and held me captive on his ship" I mumbled. Iroh chuckled as he stood. His beard was longer than I remembered and his topknot was gone. I hugged him. "It's good to see you"

* * *

I smiled as Iroh handed me a cup of tea. He held a cup out to Toph.

"Here is your tea. You seem a little too young to be traveling alone" he said. I chuckled.

"You seem a little too old" she responded, taking the cup.

"Perhaps I am" he laughed.

"I know what you're thinking. I look like I can't handle being by myself" I tipped my head to the side as I watched them.

"I wasn't thinking that" he said.

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea"

"I poured your tea because I wanted to and for no other reason"

"People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself by myself"

"You sound like my nephew" I looked down at my cup. "Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you" His eyes widened. "Not that I love you; I just met you"

"So, where is your nephew?" she asked. I had been wondering the same thing.

"I've been tracking him, actually"

"Is he lost?"

"Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He is trying to figure out who he is and he went away"

"So... now you're following him"

"I know he doesn't want me around right now, but, if he needs me, I'll be there"

"Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn't know it. Thank you" I stood with her and bowed to Iroh.

"My pleasure. Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights. And of course, seeing an old friend is always a welcome treasure" I smiled warmly and hugged him.

"No, thank you for what you said. It helped me"

"I'm glad"

"Oh, and about your nephew? Maybe you should tell him that you need him too" I smirked at her.

"Goodbye Iroh" I said. "Tell him hello from me" He nodded and smiled.

* * *

I gasped as Toph and I ran toward the ghost town. I saw Iroh appear form the forest. He ran toward Zuko. I felt my heart thump against my chest. Spirits, what is wrong with me? I grinned as Toph pushed Azula down.

"I thought you guys could use a little help" she said as we stepped up to join them.

"Thanks" Katara said. Azula got up and started to traded blasts wit us as she ran down an alley. I giggled as she bounced off Iroh's belly. The seven of us closed in on her. Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph stood on one side of me and Iroh and Zuko stood on the other.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together. I'm done" She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor" I exchanged a look with Iroh. I snapped my gaze back to Azula when I heard a crackle. Lightning shot from her fingers and hit Iroh square in the chest.

"Iroh!" I screamed. I dove for him as the others attacked. I gently placed him on the ground and looked up to see Azula had disappeared. Zuko knelt down next to me.

"Get away!" he growled at me. The others stepped up behind him. "Get away from us!"

"Zuko, I can help" I told him.

"Leave!" he yelled, sending a wave of fire over my friends heads. I nodded at them.

"Go, I'll join you when I can"

"Kimi..." I looked up at Katara surprised. "I'm sorry" I nodded and smiled. They turned and left. "Zuko, please...I can help him. I'm a healer" He looked up at me with pain filled eyes. "Please" Slowly, he nodded. I instantly tore off Iroh's shirt and uncapped my water pouch, letting the water surround my hands. I moved my hands over the star shaped burn and concentrated. I controlled my breathing and my hands glowed blue. Finally, I stopped.

"What's happened? Why did you stop?" Zuko demanded.

"I can only do so much at one time" I snapped. "He'll live, but he needs to be moved somewhere to rest" He nodded and left for moment, before returning, leading an ostrich horse behind him. I helped him get Iroh onto the horse and I grabbed my bag. "Guess I'm traveling with you now" He frowned.

"Whatever" I scowled and rolled my eyes. This was going to be a long trip.


	7. Bitter Work

**Bitter Work**

I pressed the cool rag to Iroh's forehead. He was muttering something under his breath and his fever had shot up. Zuko was pacing behind me.

"Zuko, bring me a bowl of water" I said over my shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Don't order me around peasant" he growled. I raised an eyebrow.

"Considering I'm the one who saved your uncle, you should consider being a bit nicer and heloing me get him back to full health" He frowned at me for a moment before walking out of the broken down shack. He came back with a bowl of water and set it down beside me. I bent the water over my hands and held it over the burn mark. I breathed deeply as my hands glowed the water sank ino his chest. I took the bandages from the table beside me. "Can you lift him up for me?" Zuko nodded and gently lifted his uncle so I could wrap the bandages over the left side of his chest and his shoulder. Zuko laid him back down and then resumed pacing. I watched him, frowning. Finally, I walked over and stood in front of him. He stopped and looked at me, surprised. "You're not going to help him by driving me and yourself up a wall with your pacing. Just stay calm. He'll be better before you know it" Iroh cried out. I yelped and spun around, falling onto my back in the process.

"Uncle!" Zuko cried. I stood, dusting myself off, and moved over to him.

"Careful" I warned as he tried to sit up. "You don't to hurt yourself more"

"You were unconscious. Azula did this to you" Zuko told him. "It was a surprise attack" I rolled my eyes at the obvious statement that came from him.

"Somehow, that's not so surprising" Iorh grunted as he leaned against the wall. I hovered close by just in case. Zuko pressed a steaming cup in his hands before handing me one as well. I smiled lightly.

"I hope I made it the way you like it" Zuko murmured. I took a sip and my eyes bugged out. I swallowed and forced a smile on my face.

"Mmm, good. That was very, uhh... bracing!" Iroh lied. Zuko handed him another cup and turned away for a moment. Iroh and I moved at the same time, dumping the tea out the window. "Not that I am not happy to see you my dear, but why are you here?" Iroh asked looking up at me. I flushed.

"I healed you" I mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"She healed you Uncle" Zuko told him. He looked at me, surprised. I felt my face get hotter as blood rushed up to my cheeks.

"Thank you" he said, incling his head toward me.

"So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her" I snorted.

"No, she's crazy and she needs to go down" Zuko nodded. Iroh grunted as he stood up. I squeaked and moved toward him. "It's time to resume your training" He turned to me. "And yours" he said. I smiled and bowed.

* * *

"Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire" Iroh took the tea kettle off the fire and poured it into another pot. He then it into pour three cups. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind" He handed a cup to Zuko and another to me.

"I see. That's why we're drinking tea: To calm the mind" he said as I took a long sip.

"Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes" I chuckled at him as he led us over to the edge of a hill overlooking the valley with a walled, abandoned city at the bottom. "There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning" Iroh held out a hand, signaling for me and Zuko to step back. He held his right hand to his side and with two fingers extended, he began to create lightning by rotating his arm in a circular motion around his body. He mimicked the motion with his left arm. He brought his two hands together and then lunged forward with his right hand extended and shot lightning into the distance.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko exclaimed. Iroh rubbed his shoulder slightly and I stepped forward, water surrounding my hands. Iroh waved me away.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first" I breathed in and closed my eyes. I repeated Iroh's movements, focusing on seperating the energies around me. I heard the smallest crackle and pushed my right hand out. I opened my eyes to see a streak of lightning shot into the sky while Zuko caused a fiery explosion that shoves him backward. He fell on his back next to Iroh and gaped up at me. Iroh shook his head slightly. Zuko pushed himself up and tried again. And again. And again. He was blown back by the explosion with a frustrated look. I glanced over at Iroh.

"Why can't I do it? Why can she do it? Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does!" Iroh stood and walked over to Zuko. I hesitantly followed.

"I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you"

"What turmoil?"

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away" Iroh told him. I rubbed my side absentmindedly, remembering the fireball that had hit me at the North Pole. Zuko's eyes flickered to me before resting on his uncle.

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!"

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame"

"Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately"

"I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself!" I stood straighter and smiled slightly at Zuko. He swallowed before sending me a small smile.

* * *

I knelt down next to Zuko as Iroh grabbed a twig and began drawing in the dirt. I watched as he drew the symbols of each of the bending disciplines in the dirt and explained each one.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" I giggled as Iroh smiled widely, but Zuko doesn't react. "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything" I nodded in understanding. It was true. It's how Katara was able to shift so easily into the motherly role when Mom died.

"Why are you telling me these things?" Zuko asked.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale" He drew lines separating the four symbols in the dirt. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole"

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff"

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. Or in the dual benders case, two elements. But, it can make you more powerful too" He poked Zuko's chest with his stick. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders"

"Cool" I whispered. Iroh stood and began to show Zuko some waterbending moves. I grinned and immediately slid into my stance, mimicking the movements flawlessly.

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning"

"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked excitedly.

"Us" I piped as straightened up. Iroh nodded.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it" He pointed with his right arm at an angle into the air and pointed at it with his other hand. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down into your stomach" He moved his left hand from his arm, to his shoulder, and then to his stomach. "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean" I smiled as he laughed. Zuko remained expressionless. I nudged him.

"Come on Prince Pouty, don't you have a sense of humor?" He glared at me and I rolled my eyes, lfiting my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Sheesh"

"You direct the lightning up again and out the other arm" He pointed off into the distance with his left arm. "The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart" He walked up to Zuko and pointed his fingers at his chest. "Or the damage could be deadly" I shivered as ominous feeling swept over me. "You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this" He pointed to the left with both his arms and Zuko and I mimicked the motion. Iroh then took his right arm and pointed it in the other direction. Zuko and I continued to copy Iroh as he moved. Iroh then moved his left arm to the right and back again. "Now, are you focusing your energy. Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?" I concentrated as I did the move. It felt like something was moving in me, following my arms.

"I think so" I murmured at the same time as Zuko. I flushed and looked down. Iroh moved his arms in a wave motion.

"Come on. You've got to feel the flow" I chuckled. "Let's take a break"

* * *

Zuko's POV

Kimi raised an eyebrow as Uncle walked away.

"I want to check your shoulder later" she called after him. He raised his hand up and she rolled her eyes. I scoffed and kicked the dirt.

"We don't need a break. I need to learn this. I have to be able to defeat Azula" Kimi turned to look at me. She moved around to stand behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Sit" she said, pushing me down. I et her push me down, surprised. What was she doing? Then she began to rub my shoulders. "You're too tense. Relax" she said as she rubbed circles on my shoulders, working out the knots in my muscles. She paused for a moment and then huffed. "I need you to take off your shirt" she told me.

"Why?"

"Healing abilities, remember? It might be able to help with this" she told me. I thought about it for a moment before sighing and pulling my shirt off. I held back a shiver as her cool hands touched my skin. I saw her waterbend the water from her pouch and then it wrapped around her hands. Her fingers pressed against my skin and I felt the cooling touch of the water. "Relax" she whispered. Why was she doing this for me? I kidnapped her and then I burned her and yet she helped Uncle and now she's helping me. It doesn't make any sense.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Because I want to help" she murmured as she moved her hands between my shoulder blades.

"But why? I mean I took aboard my ship as a prisoner and then in the North Pole..." I trailed off. She chuckled and stopped. She stood and walked around to kneel in front of me. She pulled the shoulder of her sleeve aside. I stared at the flawless skin in disbelief. "But-" She grinned and then lifted the hem on her tunic and showed me her side. No burn mark. "How?" I asked. She reached into her tunic and pulled out a necklace. A triangle shaped amulet hung off the chain.

"It's water from the Spirit Oasis. It has special properties. After our fight, Katara healed me using that water. The burns were gone, no scarring" I looked at her arm where Zhao had burned her.

"Then why didn't you heal that?" I asked quietly. She tipped her head to the side.

"Hmm. We just didn't think about it I suppose. Anyway, this water is special and I'm saving it for something important" she told me as she tucked it back into her tunic. She stood and moved behind me again. She placed her cool hands on my back and began to rub circles again.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I swallowed as I stood.

"There" I said. "How do you feel?" He stood and stretched.

"Better" He paused before looking at me and smiling. "Thank you" I flushed and looked away. Luckily Iroh came back at that momemnt, sparing me any more embarassment. Iroh smirked at my red face and I stuck my tongue out at him. He had us practice the movements for redirecting lightning again. It was late when he finally stopped us.

"Excellent! You've got it!" Zuko and I bowed.

"Great! I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" I gaped at Zuko. What?

"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous" Iroh exclaimed.

"I thought that was the point, you teaching me how to protect myself from it"

"But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all" Zuko gazed off at dark clouds in the distance.

"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning" He turned and walked away. I walked up to Iroh, wrapping my arms around him quickly. He patted my back.

"I'll be back" I told him.

* * *

Aang's POV

I stared up at the mooselion, clutching the baby.

"Hey, there... we found your cub!" I smiled and raised the baby into the air. The baby yawned. The mother growled and I put the baby on the ground. It ran to its mother and then passed her into the bushes, squealing. "See? We have no problem with you! We're friendly" The mooselion roared and shook her head.

"Aang, this is bad! You gotta get me outta here!" Sokka yelped. The mooselion roared, and then began to charge. Sokka cried out behind me as it charged. I airbended the mooselion over my head, and it barely passed over Sokka's head before hitting the ground and spinning around. The mooselion roared loudly and Sokka looked up at me, scared.

"This is really bad! Please, Aang! You have to earthbend me out, there's no other way!" I inwardly winced. I took a deep breath as I stomped down and then pushed both hands toward the sky, but Sokka didn't budge. I gave him a nervous grin and then turned back to the mooselion. It scraped its paw against the ground and prepared to charge again.

"Oh no!" I whispered. I leapt up on a rock outcropping away from Sokka. I cupped my hands around my mouth and began to shout at the mooselion. "Whoo-hoo! Look at me!" I danced and flailed about, trying to get the mooselion's attention. The mooselion, however, turned its attention back to Sokka and charged. I leapt off the rock and shot a gust of air at the mooselion that blew it away from Sokka. It landed and spun around again.

"Please don't leave me again" Sokka squeaked.

"I won't" I said determinedly. The mooselion charged toward me. I waited for it, taking up a stance. As the mooselion neared me, I shoved my hands forward, blowing the mooselion backwards with a strong gust of air. The mooselion hit the ground, glanced at me, and then walked off into the bushes. I was breathing heavily as I heard slow clapping. I turned and saw Toph sitting cross-legged on a rock, clapping slowly with her eyes closed.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked.

"Just enjoying the show" she said simply.

"What? You were there the whole time?" I demanded.

"Pretty much" she said.

"Why didn't you do something? Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!"

"I guess it just didn't occur to me" I watched as she tossed down a nut and then pulled out my staff. I moved forward as she brought it down. I caught it before it struck the nut.

"Enough! I want my staff back!" I pulled my staff from her hands. Toph stood and jumped off the rock.

"Do it now"

"What?"

"Earthbend, twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff"

"But..." I started.

"DO IT!" I stomped down and shoved my fist forward, causing a large rock to shoot off and crash into a ridge.

"You did it! You're an earthbender"

"I can't believe it!"

"Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment. So, could you get me out of her so I can give you both a big, snuggly hug?" I grinned as I turned to look at Sokka.

"No problem, Sokka!" I moved toward where he was, but Toph stuck her hand out, stopping me.

"Actually, you should probably let me do that. You're still a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him" Sokka smiled nervously.

"Yeah, no crushing, please" Toph walked up to Sokka and lifted her left foot, then stomped down. Sokka popped out of the hole and Toph grabbed his hair, dragging him out as she walks away. I chuckled and helped him up, leading him back to our campsite with Toph.

"You found him!" Katara exclaimed. She ran up and hugged Sokka.

"The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized..."

"Hey, Katara, look what I can do!" I called, cutting him off. I shoved my arms forward, causing a large rock formation to break in half.

"You did it! I knew you would!" she cried. Appa roared and I ran up to him.

"Appa! Appa! I can earthbend now! The key is being completely rooted! Physically and mentally unmovable!" Appa licked me and I fell forward, landing on my face. I laughed along with Sokka. Katara and Toph walked over.

"Kimi would've loved this" Katara murmured. Sokka's smiled slipped away, but then it reappeared.

"Yeah, but my comforting thought is that instead of abusing me, she's absuing Zuko" We all laughed at the thought of Kimi smacking the back of Zuko's head.

* * *

Kimiko's POV

I shivered as I climbed up the mountain, rain pouring down from the clouds, drenching me. I squinted through the rain as I reached the top and saw Zuko. He stood there, staring at the clouds.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it! And now I can give it back!" Lightning struck in the distance. "Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before!" He raised his arms and shouted out before collapsing onto his hands and knees. I walked forward and knelt beside him, wrapping my arms around his shaking shoulders. He didn't push me away. He leaned against my shoulder, crying out his frustration and anger as I simply hugged him.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Check out the poll on my profile. I'm letting you, the readers, choose the ending to Book 2, so vote! :)


	8. The Desert

**Author's Note**: So I'm skipping the Library because Zuko isn't in it which means Kimi isn't it. Anyways...enjoy! And review! Please!

Also thank you to my loyal readers who have reviewed and to my new reviewers, your support is awesome! :)

**The Desert**

Kimiko's POV

I winced as I jostled slightly. We were moving through a valley on the ostrich-horse with Zuko at the front, Iroh in the middle, and me on the end. I yelped as I nearly fell off, gripping Iroh's shoulders tightly. Iroh groaned as we continued.

"Maybe we should make camp" Zuko said quietly.

"No, please, don't stop for me!" Iroh let out several more pained groans. Zuko pulled the reigns of the ostrich-horse, stopping it. I quickly slid off and laid own on the ground as Zuko and Iroh dismounted. Iroh groaned and took a seat on a large flat rock. I sat up and closed my eyes, lifting my face to the sun. "What now?" I heard him say, annoyance clear in his voice. I opened my eyes in time to see four men streak through the foliage around us. I scrambled up and into a defensive stance beside Zuko. "Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise!"

"If you're surprised we're here then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps" Mongke said.

"You know these guys?" Zuko and I asked at the same time. I blinked at him before blushing and looking over at Iroh.

"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group" I stared at Iroh in disbelief. There's no way they were here to sing.

"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!" Mongke snapped. I turned to face the men, shifting my hands lower, toward my belt.

"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" The dark skinned, pony tailed fighter swung his ball and chain at Iroh. Iroh kicked the ball away. The cahin of the ball wrapped around the foot of another warrior's rhino. Iroh dodged the fire blasts by tumbling along the ground. Zuko turned beside me and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around as he rolled away, curling himself over me. I looked up as a lit arrow flew over our heads.

"Um thanks" I mumbled as I stood. I hauled him up and faced the men. Zuko fired a blast at the archer which burned a hole in the bow and broke the string. Mongke was letting loose fire blast after fire blast at Iroh. Iroh deflected each. I bent the water out of my pouch into a whip and wrapped it around Mongke as Zuko ran over and jumped onto his rhino. I yanked the water, bringing Mongke crashing to the ground. Iroh jumped into the saddle of the ostrich horse and I scrambled up behind him. "Zuko, come on" I called. Zuko jumped from the rhino and landed behind me as Iroh rode the ostrich horse next to the rhino. We rode off before the cold come after us.

"It's nice to see old friends" Iroh murmured.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you" Zuko grumbled.

"Hmm... Old friends that don't want to attack me..."

"Hey, what am I chopped seal jerky?" I yawned. Iroh chuckled.

"You sound tired my dear" he said, looking over his shoulder at me. "I know you have not been sleeping well" I tensed, looking up at him. I barely registered when Zuko's hands left my shoulders and wrapped tightly around my waist as we bouned over a large bump. "Try to sleep" Iroh told me. I nodded and leaned back. Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He stared straight ahead and I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over.

* * *

I was shaken awake a couple hours later.

"Not a seal" I mumbled. I heard a chuckle and I cracked my eyes open. "Ugh, what's going on?" I asked, straightening up. Iroh pointed. I lokoed over at the bar we had stopepd at. I raised an eyebrow before shrugging and dismounting. We walked in and found a table.

"No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers" Zuko grumbled. I smirked.

"Yeah, so do we" I said, gesturing to our clothes.

"Ah, this is interesting. I think I've found our friend" Iroh told us quietly. I looked over to see an old, bald man sitting at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko demanded.

"I don't think this is a gamble" Iroh said. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as we stood and walked over to the Pai Sho table.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked. I tuned them out as I sat in a chair that gave me a good view of the room. I gazed around the room. I still felt like I was being watched. The cloth over my eye shifted and I scratched it.

"Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets" I raised an eyebrow at the old man before looking at the table. The pieces were arranged in the shape of a lotus.

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko demanded.

"Don't be rude" I hissed, smacking his arm lightly. He glared at me and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game" Iroh said. I looked up as I got the sense of being watched again. This time I spotted two familiar faces. I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Guys" I started.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping! It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!" Xin Fu growled as he walked over with Master Yu.

"I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!" the Pai Sho player yelled.

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko hissed.

"He is. Just watch"

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?"

"Gold?" I heard someone ask. All of the men in the bar looked up at the mention of gold. Several pulled out knives and appraoched the table.

"Uh... Maybe we shouldn't" Master Yu said. I quickly followed Iroh, Zuko, and the old man as a fight broke out. Someone grabbed my wrist as I passed them and I looked up to see Xin Fu.

"You're coming with me" he growled, tugging on my arm. I shrieked and slashed down. Xin Fu screamed as I bent a stream of fire at him. He released me quickly to put out the fire on his tunic. I spun around and bolted for the door. I caught up the others quickly. Iroh looked at me worriedly, but I waved him off. The Pai Sho player led us to a small village near the edge of the desert and into one of the buildings. The Pai Sho player made sure than no one was watching before shutting the door. I looked around at the flower shop.

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets"

"Now that you played Pai Sho,are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko demanded.

"Zuko" I scolded. He glared at me and I lightly cuffed the back of his head. He blinked before scowling at me.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts" The Pai Sho player knocked on a door in the back. A small window in the middle slid open and a man peeked through.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" he asked.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries" Iroh answered. The door opened and Iroh and the Pai Sho player entered. Zuko moved to go in after them, but the door was shut in his face. Iroh slid open the door's window.

"I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here" Zuko frowned and crossed his arms. He looked over at me and I shrugged. He huffed and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. I tipepd my head to the side before sitting next to him.

"So" I started. "Um..." I trailed off, trying to think of what to talk about. He looked at me, raising his eyebrow. I blushed. "Sorry" I mumbled.

"Do you miss them?" he asked quietly. I looked up at him, startled by his question. I watched his face for a moment before answering.

"Yes" I whispered. "Katara and Sokka are my best friends and my brother and sister in everything but blood" Zuko looked at me, surprised.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My mother was their mother's best friend. My father was Fire Nation, a traitor. When I was three, they were killed in a raid and the cheif, Hakoda, and Kya, his wife and my mother's best friend, took me in and raised me along with Sokka and Katara. Mom was killed when I was nine" I swallowed and looked down at my lap. Tears blurred my vision. "I was very sick. Many were afraid I was going to die. There was a raid and the men hurried to the wall to defend the village. One man from the raid come to our hut. She was tending to me when he came in. Katara ran in after him. He told her to leave, but she looked at Mom and said that she was scared. Mom told her to leave. Katara left and the man looked at me. I was wrapped so tight in the blankets I could barely move. He said ke knew there was one more waterbender in our tribe. He wanted to know who it was. At first, she said there wasn't one, but he said he had a very reliable source" I wiped the tears from my eyes, but they just came faster. "Mom said she would tell him if he promised to leave the rest of the village alone. I was so scared. Fear of death left me in that moment. Mom looked at me and then back at the man and she told him that she was the last waterbender" Zuko placed a hand over mine.

"You don't have-"

"No, I need to. I need to talk to someone. She told him to take her as her prisoner and he said-" I choked back a sob. "He said he wasn't taking any prisoners. She looked at me one last time before he slashed his hand down, fire streaming from his hand, killing her. I kept my eyes on her until the light left her eyes" Zuko's arms came around me. "I tried to move to get to him, but I was so sick and weak and wrapped so tightly, I fell over next to her body. He left and I struggled with the blankets. I got my arms free and I threw myself over her as Dad and Katara ran in. I wasn't crying, I wasn't shaking. They thought I was dead at first, but when I looked up at them, they realized what had happened" I buried my face in my hands. "I was quiet for so long after that, they were afraid I would never speak again. It was Sokka who finally got me to speak. He was being his usually silly self and he said something stupid. I looked at him and I said 'You're an idiot' and then I leaned over and smacked his arm. He was so shocked, he didn't do anything. Then all of us started laughing, just laughing. It felt good to laugh after her death. I knew then that she wouldn't us to stop our lives and wallow in our grief. She would want us to go on and live life to the fullest" Zuko's arms tightened around me. I wiped the tears away. We were both silent for a few minutes before he spoke up.

"I lost my mother when I was eleven. I don't know what happened to her. She disappeared in the night my grandfather died" I looked up at him before reaching over to my bag. I carefully pulled out the torn portrait.

"I found it in my bag awhile ago" I told him as he looked down at it. "I tore off the half with Azula and this man" I turned my head slightly to look up at him. "I think your father" Zuko nodded. I gently traced the face of the woman. "You look like her"

"That's my mother, Ursa" he whispered. I placed a finger on Iroh.

"Iroh" I said quietly. I moved my finger over to the young man. "Who's he?"

"My cousin, Lu Ten. He was killed during the Seige of Ba Sing Se. It broke Uncle's heart and he ended the Seige and left on a spiritual journey. He was a changed man after that" I sighed as I leaned back against his arm.

"I'm sorry" I whispered as I closed my eyes, feeling tired.

"I am too" I heard him murmur as sleep took over me.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I looked down at Kimi as she slept. The circles under her eyes were darker than before. She had woken me up, screaming about fire and Zhao and someone named Fong. She twitched and her face crinkled in pain. I bit my lip before gently stroking her cheek just as my mother used to do when I had nightmares. What was she doing to me? She made me feel different. I felt happier around her. She also brought out my guilt. Her family was murdered because of mine. I looked down at her face as it smoothed out and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. I yawned and closed my eyes. I was asleep aa moment later.

* * *

I opened my eyes as I heard a door open and wondered why my neck felt so stiff. I looked down to see that I was leaning my head on top of Kimi's. I yelped and scrambled away from her, causing her to fall to the flor. She cried out and shot up, fire spilling from her fingertips.

"Zhao!" she cried, breathing heavily, her eyes wild. Uncle stopped the flames and put them out. She looked around and seemed to realize where she was. She took a deep breath as she stood, brushing herself off. Uncle smirked at me before walking closer to Kimi.

"Are you alright my dear?" he asked. She kept her eyes on the ground and nodded mutely.

"So, what's going on? Is the club meeting over?" I asked, not meeting her eyes as she looked over at me.

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se" Uncle said.

"Ba Sing Se? Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"

"The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice three more" the Pao Sho man said.

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city" The door opened and a young man stepepd in.

"I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the streets looking for them" he said quickly. We looked through the window and Kimi stiffened beside me. It was the two men from the bar.

"You seen these people?" the buff one asked, holding up two wanted posters.

"Quickly!" the Pai Sho man urged. I turned to look at the two pots. The man took off the fake flower tops and Uncle immediately climbed into one. I exchanged a look with Kimi before pushing myself down to the bottom of the other one.

"Don't you have something else?" I heard Kimi ask.

"I'm sorry miss, but if you want to get away now, you must get in the pot"

"But-"

"Now!" the man urged. Kimi sighed before sliding in on top of me. It was a tight fit. She hissed in pain as I accidentally scratched her. The fake tops were put on and I felt pots begin to move. Kimi was muttering under her breath and shaking as we moved.

"What's wrong?" I muttered.

"Tight...space" she choked. My eyes widened. Agni! Why did she have to be afraid of small spaces?

* * *

Kimiko's POV

We stopped mving and the fake top was removed. I pushed myself out and breathed in deeply as I collasped onto the ground and stared up at the sky.

"Oh wide open space, how I missed you?" I cried. Iroh looked at me strangely.

"Kimi..." he started. I smiled and shook my head.

"I'll tell you later" I said. I looked at the port and grinned. I linked my arms through Zuko's and then Iroh's. "Ba Sing Se, here we come"


	9. Ba Sing Se

**Author's Note**: Hey! So thank you to all my reviewers, seeing the little message box in my email makes me so happy. Don't forget to check out the poll on my profile to decide how this book ends. Will Zuko go with Kimi and the Gaang or will he betray them and go home with his sister?

**Ba Sing Se**

I sighed happily as the sun beat on my back and the smell of fresh sea water filled the air. Our vessel launched and sailed into a large lake. Iroh stood beside me.

"Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace...as a tourist" He pulled out a large flowered straw hat and placed it on his head with a wide grin. I giggled.

"Look around, we're not tourists, we're refugees. Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt... I'm tired of living like this" I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know. But it will get better" I said quietly as I adjusted my cape. I switched the cloth to cover my gold eye instead of my blue one.

"Aren't we all?" I stiffened at the familiar voice. "My name's Jet, and these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee, and Longshot" Oh no. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Iroh was watching my face as it grew paler. I quickly flicked my hood up and sat, looking out to the water below with my feet dangling over the edge.

"Hey" I heard Smellerbee say.

"Hello" Zuko answered.

"Here's the deal. I hear the Captain's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of 'king' is he eating like?" Iroh asked.

"The fat, happy kind" I looked up for a moment at Iroh as he drooled. "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

"I'm in" Zuko said after a moment. I felt a pair of eyes on me.

"How about your friend?" Jet asked. I flinched.

"What about me?" I asked in a low voice.

"Would like to-"

"No" I snapped, cutting him off as I stood. I quickly walked past Zuko and toward the other side of the boat.

"What's with her?" I heard Jet ask.

"I have no idea" Zuko answered.

* * *

I scowled as I stared at the water below. Why? The spirits hate me. Why did _Jet_ have to be here? I gently ran a hand over my lower back, remembering the ugly red blotches and lines that covered my back. I huffed as I heard someone walking up behind me.

"What?" I asked, a little too harshly.

"Hmm, something seems to be bothering my dear. I couldn't perhaps be that young man, could it?" Iroh asked. I sighed and lifted the hem of my shirt to show him my back. He inhaled sharply. I released my shirt and went bac to staring at the water.

"Before the North Pole, we met Jet and his Freedom Fighters. Sokka and I had a bad feeling about him and he hated me once he knew I was...well..." I trailed off and looked up at him. "Even the fact that I'm half Water Tribe didn't stop him. He took me away in the middle of the night and when I woke up, I was in fornt of a dam by an Earth Kingdom village occupied by the Fire Nation. There were barrels of blasting jelly around me" Iroh gasped. "I managed to cut the ropes on my ankles with my dagger, but when I got up to run, the barrels exploded. The fire burned my back and I nearly drowned because of the water" Iroh placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me up. He hugged me and I smiled aganist his scratchy beard.

"Don't worry" he told me. I snorted.

"Yeah ok" I mumbled. "Oh and um, we don't want anyone knowing who you are, right..." Iroh nodded.

"I am Mushi and Zuko is Lee or Junior" he chuckled. I raised an eyebrow and decided it was better not to chuckled at my expression and led me back to Zuko. My scowl returned when I saw Jet passing out food to the passengers. I plopped down next to Zuko and he handed me a bowl of noddles.

"So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man" Iroh started.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man. I'm a girl!" She stood and walked off as I choked on my noodles.

"Oh, now I see! It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Iroh called after her. Longshot rose and followed her. Jet walked over and sat beside me. I stiffened and slowly inched closer to Zuko.

"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall"

"It is a magnificent sight" Iroh murmured.

"So you've been there before?" Jet asked. Without moving my head, I looked over at Jet.

"Once, when I was a different man" Iroh answered.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. But that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning. A second chance" I choked on my noodles again. The three of them looked at me oddly as I attempted to breathe. Zuko slapped my back until I managed to gasp.

"Thanks" I rasped.

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances" I peeked up at Zuko as he looked over my head at Iroh.

"So, what's your name?" Jet asked. I realized he was talking to me and I swallowed my gulp of tea.

"Um..." I said. He chuckled.

"It's okay you don't have to tell me" Jet said. I nodded mutely. "Isn't that Water Tribe?" My eyes widened and I looked over to see that he was pointing at my pearl bracelet. There was a Water Tribe insignia etched into each pearl. I had bought it at the Northern Water Tribe before we left. I didn't respond. "I knew some people from the Southern Water Tribe"

"Really?" I squeaked.

"Yeah...they were travelling with the Avatar. One of them was the dual bender"

"I-Interesting" I mumbled.

"Yeah, it was" he sighed. "But I made a bad choice. I tried to hurt her, really bad..." He trailed off.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They left. Afterwards, I started thinking about what had happened and I realized I had been wrong"

"Maybe you'll see her again someday and you'll get to talk to her" I said quietly.

"I hope so" he said. I noticed Zuko was clenching his hands into fists as he stared down at his lap.

"Lee?" He looked at me. "Are you okay?" He nodded stiffly and I raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and decided to talk to him later about it. I turned back to Jet. He was watching me intently and I flushed.

* * *

"So, Miss Kimi, Mr. Lee, and Mr... umm Mushy is it?" the Customs Lady asked as she looked at our papers.

"It's pronounced Moo-shee" Iroh told her.

"You telling me how to do my job?" she asked angrily.

"Uh, no no no" His voice changed and I blinked. "But may I just say that you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty intoxicating" I silently gagged.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself handsome. Raorrr. Welcome to Ba Sing Se" She stamped our papers and pushed them forward. Zuko snatched the papers.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that" he grunted.

"Ugh, horrifying" I added. Iroh chuckled. We walked over to a waiting station.

"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" I turned my head slightly to look over at Jet.

"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!" I looked up at the tea merchant.

"Oh! Jasmine, please" Iroh called, waving his arm. The peddler poured tea into Iroh's bowl, who delightedly took a sip. His eyes widened in shock and he spat it out in disgust. "Blaugh! Ugh. Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace!" I chuckled and shook my head at him.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" I raised an eyebrow as Jet and Zuko walked off. I watched them talking before Iroh tugged on my sleeve.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked. I shook my head and stood, feeling stiff. I stretched my arms up above my head and giggled as a light breeze tickled my stomach. Zuko stormed over and smacked Iroh's cup out of his hand. I notcied the steam rising from the mess. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I turned, lowering my arms. I saw Jet's wide eyes staring at me and I inhaled sharply. I had accidently showed my back to him. He looked past me with a suspicious look.

"What are you doing firebending your tea?! For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move" I heard Zuko scold Iroh. I turned back to them, trying to forget the look on Jet's face.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but... that's so sad" I rolled my eyes.

* * *

I smiled at the ornate stone train as it pulled in to pick up passengers.

"Last call for Ba Sing se!" We entered one of the cars and Zuko sat a few seats away from a young woman holding a baby. Sitting next to her a young man with his arm draped over her shoulders. Iroh sat next to the woman and I was stuck between him and Zuko. Iroh smiled at the baby.

"What a handsome baby" he said. He tickled the blanket with his finger.

"Thank you" the woman said. I smiled faintly as the baby gurgled quietly and then yawned and went back to sleep.

* * *

We were given a small house in the lower ring when we arrived. Iroh was making it more homely by bringing back little trinkets. Zuko and I were walking back to the house as Iroh came running up behind us. He was holding a large vase with a bunch of orange flowers.

"I just want our new place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend" I felt something strange in my gut. A feeling I hadn't felt before. Something different from anger, more bitter.

_'Jealousy' _

_'No, I'm not jealous. I don't like him like that'_

_'Yes you do'_

_'No I don't!'_

_'Do'_

_'Don't'_

_'Do!'_

I sighed in defeat. You know you're crazy when you lose an arguement with yourself. I looked over at Zuko out of the corner of my eye. He was handsome and his scar just added to his character, his personality. I blushed as his golden eyes gleamed in the sunlight when he looked at me. I forced my gaze away from him.

"This city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here" Zuko grumbled.

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon" I tripped over a loose rock and yelped as I fell forward. I quickly bent a stream of water to catch myself and I rolled forward, landing lightly on my feet. "Hmm, you're reflexes have improved greatly Kimi"

"Thanks" I said happily.

"Be careful" Zuko hissed. I raised an eyebrow.

"They're against the Fire Nation, not the Water Tribes" He scowled and turned away. I smirked before bending the water over to Zuko. His eyes widened and he dodged it as I let it fall. "Awww" I whined. Zuko smirked and lightly shoved me. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"No one would ever guess that the two of you have known each other a couple weeks, yet you act like you're been friends forever" Iroh said. I rolled my eyes.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I frowned at my uniform.

"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel?" the tea shop owner, Ling, asked.

"Ridiculous" I muttered.

"Umm, I think this a little too small" Kimi said. I looked over at her and felt my face grow warm. The top was dark green and sleeveless and had two straps that wrapped around to tie behind her neck. It was also cut at the bottom to show off her stomach and at the top to reveal clevage. The skirt was also dark green and only came down to the middle of her thighs. She wore an apron around her waist that ended just below the skirt.

"No, you're good" Ling said distantly. She scowled and crossed her arms. Uncle was desperately attempting to tie the string of his apron behind his back, but couldn't.

"Uh, Does this possibly come in a larger size?"

"I have extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait" Ling poured us three cups of tea and went to the back of the shop. Uncle took a sip and his face contorted in disgust.

"Ew! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's what all tea is" I told him.

"How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here"

"I'll say" Kimi mumbled as she tugged at the hem of her shirt. "I feel like a slut" She pulled at the neckline, trying to tug it up. Uncle chuckled. Kimi's face was tinged pink as she pulled at her uniform. I saw her rub her arm and I frowned. It looked ribbons of red wrapping around her arm from her shoulder to her hand. She turned to go to the back of the shop and I winced when I saw the red blotches on her back. I quickly followed her. "Hey Ling, could I please wear a different shirt at least?" she asked. Ling raised an eyebrow. She turned to show him her back. "I'd rather people didn't see that or this" she said pointing to her arm while his eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, um, yes" He turned away from and rummaged through a couple boxes. He straightened and held out a shirt similiar to mine, but for a woman. She smiled gratefully.

"Thank you" she said. I smiled lightly and rejoined Uncle.

* * *

"Would you like a pot of tea?" Uncle asked.

"Yes please" Kimi chimed as she walked in, braiding her hair. "Jasmine" she said as she sat down and tied off her hair with a band.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day. I'm sick of tea!" I growled.

"Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing! Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" Kimi stood and looked in the drawer.

"Be right back" she said. She left and came a minute later with two emerald green spark rocks. "I borrowed our neighbors" Uncle smiled.

"Such nice people" he said as he took the rocks from her. He struck them together and lit a small flame under the teapot.

* * *

Kimi's POV

"This is the best tea in the city!" I smiled lightly as the officer complimented Iroh.

"The secret ingredient is love" he responded. I looked up as the door slammed open and Jet stepped inside.

"Jet, what are you-"

"I'm tired of waiting. These two men are firebenders!" My jaw dropped as I looked at him. "I know they're firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop" the officer pointed out.

"He's a firebender, I'm telling you!"

"Jet, calm down" I said, setting down the pot I was holding.

"Listen to the girl. Drop your swords boy, nice and easy" The two officers stood.

"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do"

"Jet!" I snapped. I pulled the water from the pouch at my hip. "Stop, now!" Jet looked at me.

"I don't want to fight you Kimi. Why are with them?" he demanded.

"They're my friends" I hissed. He narrowed his eyes at me. Zuko grabbed one of the officers double broadswords.

"You want a show? I'll give you a show" he growled. He then pulled a table in front of him with his foot and kicked it at Jet. Jet sliced his hook swords into the table and jumped over it. As he landed, Jet swung both hook swords down at Zuko, who deflected the attack and jumped backward on to another table. Jet swung one sword through the middle of the table, slicing it in half. Zuko stepped to one half of the table and balanced on one foot. Jet followed up his attack by cutting through the legs on the half of the table Zuko was standing on. Zuko quickly hopped on to the other half that was still standing and landed in a crane stance. Jet knocked this half to the ground, but Zuko jumped into the air and swung both broadswords at Jet's feet as he landed. Jet somersaulted away and landed in a crouching position before charging forward at Zuko again. Zuko swung both of his swords at Jet. I bit my lip and leapt after them as Zuko tumbled out onto the street. Jet spun around before swiping at Zuko with both hook swords. Zuko blocked and they locked swords.

"You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me" I scowled and whipped my water at the back of his neck. He gasped in surprise.

"Stop this now Jet. You don't know what you're doing!"

"Please son, you're just confused" Iroh said as he joined the crowd in the street. I watched with wide as their swords clanged again. Zuko pinned one of Jet's swords through the hilt and swung the other at his head, cutting the piece of straw in his mouth in half.

"You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen" He hooked his sword around a wooden beam and swung himself around, performing a flying kick. I shot forward, gripping his ankle and swinging him around. He fell to the ground and I let the water flow over my arms. He pushed himself up and ducked around me, swinging his sword at Zuko.

"Drop your weapons!" I looked around to face the Dai Li agents. I bent the water back into my pouch as Zuko lowered his sword. Jet pointed his sword at Zuko and Iroh.

"Arrest them. They're Firebenders" he yelled.

"This poor boy is confused. We're just simple refugees" Iroh said. I looked over at him and thought about what he had said back on the ship. He was sorry, he wanted to apologize. He met my eyes and I bit my lip.

"This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees" Ling told the two Dai Li.

"It's true sir. We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city"

"Come with us son" the second Dai Li guard said. The two guards quickly disarmed and pulled his arms behind his back, binding his wrists together.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" I turned away from him and pushed my way through the crowd. I caught sight of Smellerbee and Longshot at the end of an alleyway. I hurried toward them. Smellerbee's eyes widened and she tugged on Longshot's sleeve.

"Wait!" I cried. I reached them and placed my hand on her shoulder. She turned to face me. "Why are you here?" I asked. They exchanged a look and Longshot nodded.

"We really did want to start over" Smellerbee explained. "But then Jet got it in his head that your two friends were firebenders and then he recognized you by your..." She trailed off.

"By my scars" I said bluntly. She flushed and she looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry about that by the way" she murmured. Longshot gave me a look and I smiled.

"I know" I said quietly. "And I forgive you" Smellerbee's head snapped up and she smiled at me. "I have to get back. Good luck here and I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble" They nodded and walked off. I joined Zuko and Iroh as they walked back into the tea shop. "Well that was fun" I muttered. Zuko looked at me incredulously while Iroh sighed.

"Are you serious?" Zuko asked.

"Of course" I said sarcastically. "I had tons of fun while I watched Jet try to kill you. It was sooo entertaining" His expression was blank. "I was being sarcastic" I told him, rolling my eyes. He huffed and crossed his arms. "Also, I'm glad you're okay" I added in a whisper before going into the back of the shop to get some more tea.


	10. The Tale of Kimi

**The Tale of Kimi**

"Uncle, we have a problem" Zuko said. I raised a eyebrow as Iroh descended the ladder. "One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation" I turned to look. The girl was very pretty with messy brown hair pulled into twin braids. "Didn't I say don't look!" Zuko growled. I chuckled and turned to pour myself a cup of tea.

"You're right Zuko. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you" I spit out my tea in surprise.

"What?!"

"Thank you for the tea" We all jumped and turned to look at the girl. "What's your name?" she asked. I glared at the girl.

"My name's Lee. My Uncle, my friend, and I just moved here"

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?" she asked.

"He'd love to!" Iroh interjected excitedly. I barely registered the shattering of my teacup or the pain as the shards pierced my hand.

"Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sundown" Jin said. She turned and left. I spun on my heel and stormed into the back. I muttered adarkly under my breath as I pulled the shards out my hand and searched for bandages. My hand was bleeding heavily now.

"Stupid. Of course he doen't like you. Why would he? You're just a peasant and he's a prince" I winced as I stretched the cuts. "Ah ha!" I exclaimed once I found the bandages. I grabbed them with my good hand and walked into the kitchen area. I turned on the water at the sink and ran my hand under the hot water. I winced again as the water washed the blood away and cleaned the cuts. I quickly wrapped the white gauze around my hand. I inspected it for a moment and then went back out to the main room of the shop. Iroh was talking to himself excitedly as Zuko continued to serve tea. I snatched a tray with a several cups of tea and tiny labels telling me which table they went to before walking over to a table near the front of the shop. "Your order sir" Only one person was sitting there. A guy with a hood and cloak. He lowered his hood as I placed the cup on his table.

"Kimi?" I looked up at his face and gasped as I recognized the bright amber eyes, short jet black hair, and muscular build.

"Shu?" I gasped. He chuckled. "What are you doing here?" he held up his cup.

"Seeing if the rumors are true" He took a sip. "And it turns out they are. Finest tea in Ba Sing Se" I smiled.

"I meant what are you doing here, in Ba Sing Se?"

"Well I could ask you the same question" he said, smirking. "How about we discuss it over some dinner tonight?" I blinked several times before a light blush crept up my neck to my cheeks.

"Um sure" I said.

"Cool, I'll meet you here at say, six?" he asked. I nodded.

"See you then" I said. I went back to the counter. Iroh smirked at me.

"What was all that about?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when we get home"

* * *

"So" Iroh started as soon as we stepped through the door to our apartment. "Who was the young man?"

"I met him at the Fire Days Festival before we got to the North Pole. I was eating at a small table while the others explored and he came over to my table. He asked if I was new around there becuase he defintely would've remebered me if he had seen me before" Iroh chuckled. "I kinda lied and told him that I lost my eye in a raid, but he won't believe that now"

"I think he'll understand" Iroh said. "After all, you're a dual bender and you were travelling with the Avatar and you were in a Fire Nation village" I shrugged.

"Anyway, I asked him why he was in Ba Sing Se and he said he was wondering the same thing about me and asked if I would meet him for dinner and we could catch up" Iroh grinned like a fool.

"That is great news" he exclaimed.

"You're going on a date?" I spun around to look at Zuko.

"Yes" I answered curtly.

"Why? You barely know the guy"

"I could say the same about you and Jin" I snarled. I rubbed my hand absently and Iroh gasped.

"Kimi, what happened?" I looked down at the bandages and swore. Red was seeping through the gauze. I snatched the roll of bandages from our cabinet before going over to the sink.

"It's nothing" I said as I unwrapped the gauze around my hand.

"It does not look like nothing" Iroh said seriously as he came up next to me and gently grabbed my hand. he inspected the cuts before lokoing up at me. "This couldn't have anything to do with the shards of a teacup I found on the floor of the shop or in the back room, could it?" I glared at my hand silently before pulling it away and running it under the hot water. "Hmm, I thought so" I went to grab the roll, but Iroh got there first. He took my hand again and wrapped it quickly. "There that should do it" I continued to glare at my hand before going to my room. I opened the one drawer in my dresser and pulled out a long sleeved emerald green top. It had small flower desgins eteched into the hem and around the edge of the sleeves. The sleeves were only slightly loose and tied off with a bit of string at my wrists. I laid it out on the straw mattress. I pulled out the matching skirt that fell to the middle of my thighs and then a pair of dark green leggins that went underneath. I quickly undressed and wrapped a towel around myself before walking into the attached bathroom to my room. I set up the bath and slid in. I scrubbed away all the dirt and grime until my skin turned red. I felt better than I had in weeks. I washed my ahir throughly and then stepped out, wrapping the towel around myself once again. I wrung out my hair and went into my room. I dried myself by bending the water off my body and out of my hair. I concentrated and cleaned it before bending it into my second pouch. I used a bit of steam to dry myself completely before getting dressed. I brushed my hair out and left it loose. It hung in waves down to my waist. I smiled at myself before leaving my room. Iroh smiled at me and I smirked at Zuko. Iroh had combed and parted his hair so it wasn't shaggy and messy. He was wearing a nice green outfit I didn't know he had. Iroh took us back to the shop where Jin and Shu were waiting. I smiled at Shu and didn't bother to acknowledge Jin.

"Wow, you look beautiful" Shu said.

"Thank you" I murmured. He linked his arm through mine and led me away.

* * *

"So why are you here in Ba Sing Se?" I asked as we served our meal. A lare bowl of noddles for us to share and a plate of assorted vegetables. He swallowed his bite of noodles before answering.

"My parents were killed" he said softly. "I'm living with my aunt and uncle and my cousins"

"Oh, I'm so sorry" I whispered.

"It's okay. They're in a better place now" he said. I smiled lightly thinking of my own parents and Mom.

"But Ba Sing Se? I mean when we met..." I trailed off.

"Yeah, I know. My uncle is my mom's brother. He defected when I was three and joined the refugees here. He met my aunt a year later and now they are happily married with three kids. All earthbenders. My uncle is so proud of them. My parents never agreed with the ways of our nation, but they kept their heads low for my sake"

"Wow" I murmured.

"Yeah. So how about you?"

"Well, I guess I should tell you that I lied when I first met you"

"I know" he interrupted. I stared at him, open-mouthed. "I had suspected back then, but when I saw you today in the shop I knew. You're a dual bender. The only one alive right now. I understand that you lied to protect yourself and your friends. You didn't know about me" I flushed.

"I met I-erm, Mushi and Lee a couple weeks ago. Mushi was injured and I healed him with my waterbending. I told my friends to continue on and I joined the two of them" He raised an eyebrow and then leaned closer, lowering his voice.

"I know Fire Nation when I see them Kimi" he told me quietly. My eyes widened. "Don't worry their secret is safe with me" I smiled gratefully.

"Thank you" I said. He took my hand.

"Come on, I want to show you something" He left some yuans on the table and led me out of the restaurant.

"Where are we going?" I asked, laughing.

"You'll see" he said, his eye shining in the moonlight. We stopped at the edge of an open area. A large fountain was in the center and several posts with candles surrounded it in a circle. All the candles were lit. I gasped at the beauty. The light from the candles reflected against the water in fountain in a way so beautiful, it took my breath away.

"Oh Shu! It's amazing!" I told him.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"It's beautiful" I said. He smiled and lifted my hand to his mouth, brushing his lips against my knuckles.

"Not as beautiful as you" he whispered. My face felt like it could boil water. He chuckled and he placed his hand on the back of my neck while the curved around my waist to rest on the small of my back. He pulled my up and his lips touched mine. I blinked in surprise and leaned back.

"I-"

"Kimi?" I yelped as though I had been shocked and jerked away from Shu. I saw Zuko standing there with Jin. He looked angry while she looked confused and sad. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" I asked coldly. He flinched at my tone.

"Why are you with him?" he demanded.

"Because he asked me out and I said yes. Now why don't you go back to your date" I said, turning back to Shu. He raised an eyebrow and then looked up at the sky.

"You know, I should be getting home or Aunt Aiko will get worried" I frowned.

"Okay" I said quietly. He chuckled.

"I'll see you later" he said, lifting my hand to his lips again. "Goodbye" I watched him go before turning back to Zuko and Jin.

"Um, Lee, I have to go too" Jin said before hurrying off. "I'll see you soon"

"Why?" I demanded in a low voice.

"Why what?" he responded.

"I was having a good time until you came along" I snapped. Zuko scowled. "Why didn't you just mind your business and continue your date?"

"Because I didn't want you to be near that guy" he growled.

"And who are you to say who I can be friends with?" I yelled. "You don't control me!" I lowered my voice. "I'm not your prisoner"

"I never said-"

"No! That's just it! You never said anything! You captured me for your damned honor, but there's nothing honorable about you want! You want the Fire Nation to win!" My voice was steadily rising. "You never said anything to about that! You're too blind to see what's right in front! You have everything you need right here! You don't your father to feel good about yourself! You don't need to take away the world's last hope to please your father! It's selfish and wrong!" Zuko was silent as I yelled at him. I lowered my voice. "And you can't even see that the people who care about you are already with you. Your uncle stuck with you through thick and thin. He's the one who cares for you" Zuko met my gaze, his frame trembling as he stepped toward me. I instinctively stepped back, but he moved fast. His arms came around me just as Shu's had and his lips crashed into mine. I gasped as a shock ran through me. He pulled a moment later and I felt a sudden chill descend over me as if he had taken all the warmth from my body. Then he turned on his heel and left. I was left standing there as I watched him leave. Something wet hit my nose and I looked up. I scowled. Great, it was raining. I shivered as I walked away from the fountain. Where was the apartment? I moved through the streets as the rain came down harder and faster. I was running now, trying to find my way back to the apartment. I shrieked as I slipped in a puddle and fell. I winced and tried to stand. My ankle burned and I fell again. It was sprained at best. Salty tears slid down my cheeks mixing with the rain as I crawled over to the wall running along beside me. I leaned against it and curled in on myself. I was lost and alone. Why did Zuko do it? Why did he kiss me? I shivered and looked up at the sky. A crack of thunder made me jump and I whimpered. I felt exhausted and weak. I closed my eyes. I don't know how much later it was when I myself getting lifted up. I slowly opened my eyes. "Iroh?" I whispered.

"Hush my dear" he said. "I'm taking you home"

"Thank you" I murmured. I opened my eyes again when the feeling of rain splattering on my face left. I looked around. We were back in the apartment. Iroh opened my door and gently placed me on my bed. He breathed out and my clothes began to dry, but I was still shivering. When he was done, he looked down at me. He frowned before tucking me under the blankets. I curled up and continued to shiver violently. He sighed.

"Try to get some sleep" he told me. "I will go make you some tea" He left and came back with a steaming cup of ginseng tea. I took a sip and warmth spread through my body.

"Thank you" I croaked. He left and I pulled the covers closer before closing my eyes, drifting into a fitful sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I know this one was really short, but we already know Zuko and Iroh's tales...aaaaanyways, vote in my poll! We're getting closer to the end and I need your help. I have no idea which one to do! So vote!


	11. Lake Laogai

**Author's Note**: So I realized that in **Ba Sing Se** I said the owner of the teashop was a guy named Ling and that was because I forgot his name was pao, but that's fixed in this chapter. Anyways, enjoy! And don't forget to vote in my poll, only four people have and it's tied and only one more chapter after this one until the last one :'(

* * *

**Lake Laogai**

I scowled as I sneezed again. Iroh chuckled as he came in with a tray.

"That rain really affected you" he said as he poured a cup of tea. He handed it to me and I took a sip. Mmm, ginseng, my favorite. "Why were out there?" he asked. I flushed.

"It was nothing" I mumbled. Iroh raised an eyebrow. I huffed. "Fine. Shu took me to the firelight fountain and he was about to kiss me and I started to pull away when Zuko came out of nowhere with Jin. He was such a jerk. He asked me what I was doing with Shu and then Shu and jin left and I yelled at him" Iroh hummed as he poured himself a cup of tea. "I yelled at him about his obsession with Aang and getting his honor" Iroh patted my shoulder. "I told him the people that cared were right in front of him and that Ozai didn't care and that you were the one he should be focusing on"

"I understand how you are feeling right now" he said quietly. "However, yelling does not get through to him"

"Yeah I know, I shouldn't have lost my temper, but when I was done, he..." I swallowed remembering the feeling of Zuko's lips on mine. Iroh chuckled.

"I think I'll just leave you to your thoughts" he said. I rolled my eyes and he left. I took another sip of tea and pulled the blanket closer. I shivered and twisted my hand creating a ball of fire. I held it close, letting it warm me up. There was a knock on my door and I lifted my head as it was slowly pushed open. Zuko stood there, his eyes on the floor.

"Are you decent?" he asked. I grunted and turned away from him. I heard him walk up behind me. "I'm sorry" he said gruffly. I turned to him, surprised. I inhaled sharply and started cough. I continued to cough until I got my hand around my teacup. I managed to swallow the rest of the tea and my coughing subsided. He knelt down in front me. I held a hand up as I took a deep breath.

"I'm the one who should say sorry and I am sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that" Zuko looked down at his lap.

"No, you were right" he said quietly, still not meeting my eyes. "Uncle has always been there for me and after I did to you and your friends, you still helped us and you were kind to me even though I burned you" I smiled. I swallowed and tucked my hand under his chin. I lifted his face. He brought his gaze to meet mine.

"You're strange, you know that right?" I told him. He scoffed.

"You're one to talk" I laughed and he quickly joined in.

"I really am sorry" I whispered.

"Me too"

"Come on" I said, pushing myself up. I stumbled and a strong, warm hand gripped my elbow, pulling me up before I hit the floor. I yelped as I fell against Zuko's chest. I stepped away, my face burning. I turned on my heel and left quickly, leaving Zuko looking stunned as he stood in the middle of my room.

* * *

"This is great" the man said as he drank his tea. I smiled.

"Thank you. Mushi is considered to be the best tea maker in Ba Sing Se" I smirked. The man stood and his two companions followed as he walked up to Iroh.

"So you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well" I walked around him and set the tray on the counter.

"Good tea is its own reward" Iroh said wisely.

"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?" I gasped and nearly dropped the teapot.

"My own tea shop? This is a dream come true"

"What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?" Pao pushed himself between Iroh and the man.

"Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?" the man asked.

"Mushi, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant manager"

"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the upper ring. The Tea shop is yours to do whatever you want. Complete creative freedom" I exchanged a glance with iroh and grinned.

"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked excitedly.

"Of course!" the business man exclaimed.

"Uh, Senior Executive Assistant Manager?" Pao tried. Iroh handed over his teapot.

"Did you hear nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city"

"That's right young man. Your life is about to change for the better" Zuko set down his tray and walked toward the door.

"I'll try to contain my joy" he said as he stepped outside. I sighed and went after him. I opened the door and peeked out as he caught a piece of paper in his hand. He looked up at the sky and then climbed up the building to the roof. I bent down and picked up one of the leaflets. My eyes widened as I read. Appa was missing? Wiat! They're here! In Ba Sing Se!

* * *

I hurried into the apartment and skidded to a halt before I crashed into Zuko. His eyes widened and he jumped out of the way. I shrieked as I crashed to the floor.

"Ow" I moaned. Zuko helped me up and I heistantly touched my forehead. A small lump was forming and I winced. Iroh raised an eyebrow before resuming his packing.

"So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop. How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it"

"Sounds good" I said as I moved over to the ice box.

"The Avatar's here in Ba Sing Se. And he's lost his bison" I jerked my head up and swore as it cracked against the lid of the ice box.

"We have a chance for a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us" Iroh said. I made a second pack of ice and held it to the back of my head with one hand while holding the other to my forehead with my other hand.

"Good things that are happening for you. Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?" Zuko asked.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why"

"I want my destiny" Zuko growled.

"What that means is up to you" Iroh told him. I raised an eyebrow at Zuko as he walked away. "The Tea Weevil! No, that's stupid" I chuckled and followed Zuko out. He was sitting on the steps outside the apartment. I sat beside him and set the ice packs down.

"Hey" I said quietly. He grunted without looking up. "Um, can we talk about what happened the other night?" He bit his lip.

"I thought we did. We both apologized-"

"That's not what I meant" I said, cutting him off. "I meant can we about when you kissed me"

"It was nothing" Zuko grunted. I felt something settle in my gut. A strange, cold twisting. He stood and I reached out to grab his wrist.

"It really meant nothing to you?" I asked. He met my eyes for a moment before jerking his wrist out of my grip.

"Yes" he said tersely. I swallowed my tears at his rejection.

"O-ok" I stammered. "Um, I'm just gonna go out for a little bit"

* * *

I looked down at the flyer and then at the building. Well this was the right address. I hesitantly stepped up to the door. I bit my lip and rapped my knuckles against the door.

"Who could that be?" I heard Sokka's muffled voice.

"No way...It couldn't be" I heard Toph gasp. The door slammed open and a green and tan blur jumped on me. "Hot Head, you're back!" I struggled against her grip.

"It's great to see you to Toph" I gasped. "Now I can't breathe"

"Kimi?" I looked up and grinned. I launched myself at Sokka and Katara, tackling them to the ground.

"I missed you guys so much!" I exclaimed. A small person landed on my back and I looked up to see Aang hugging me. "Hey little guy!"

"Kimi! You're here!" I stood and grinned at them. I turned and my grin slid off my face.

"Jet?!" I spun around to face them. "Why is here? He was arrested a few weeks ago" I turned to face him. "How did you get away?"

"He was brainwashed by the Dai Li" I turned again to see Smellerbee and Longshot hovering in the shadows.

"How did you get here?" Sokka asked.

"Erm..." I hesitated, not wanting to tell them. "Well, I'm kind of living here" They gaped at me. "Look can we just get to whatever you were doing?"

"We're going to Lake Laogai" Jet told me.

* * *

"So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as we stared out at the lake.

"Under the lake I think" Jet said, scratching his head.

"There's a tunnel right there near the shore" Toph told us. She earthbent and a stone pathway rose to the surface. She walked along it to a stone disc, which she bent aside. I frowned, but slid down the dark tunnel after them.

"It's all starting to come back to me" Jet said as we walked along. I paused at one door.

"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se" the Dai Li agent said to the group of women.

"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se" I shuddered and continued after them.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead. I think it's through here" The door slid open and I looked around at the massive cavern. The door slid shut as we entered and the room plunged into darkness. Lanterns flared to life and I looked up to see Dai Li agents hanging from the ceiling.

"Creepy" I muttered,

"Now that's something different" Sokka said.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state" I turned to face the man.

"Um, who are you?" I asked.

"That's Long Feng" Katara told me. "He's the Earth King's advisor"

"Take them into custody" Long Feng said as Longshot notched an arrow. The Dai Li dropped to the floor, circling us.

"Seriously, what the spirits did I miss?" I demanded as stone fists were launched at us. I dropepd to the ground and then swung my leg in an arc sending a wave of flame at the agents in front of me. I jumped into the air and flipped, kicking my foot. As I landed, a wall of flame spread out from my foot. I uncapped my pouch and bent the water out. I lashed out as two stone fists hurtled toward me, cutting them in half. I snapped the whip at the Dai Li agent, sending him into a wall. I spun in a circle and found myself back to back with Jet.

"Hey long time no see" he joked as he blocked a kick from a Dai Li.

"Yeah, this is totally where I wanted to catch up with you" I said, knocking a fist away.

"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang cried. I exchanged a loko with Jet and we hurried after Aang and Long Feng. We entered another chamber and the door closed behind us. Long Feng dropped from the ceiling and I spun around to face him.

"Alright Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance, if you want your bison back" I gasped and started forward.

"You do have Appa. Tell me where he is!"

"Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost pet" Jet raised his swords.

"You're in no position to bargain" he snarled.

"Am I not?" Long Feng asked.

"Defintely not" I snapped as got into my stance and twisted my arms, creating a fire whip.

"Jet, The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai" I snapped my gaze to Jet as his pupils dilated.

"I am honored to except his invitation" I screamed and ducked as he performed a brutal double slash toward my neck. I leapt into the air and Jet focused on Aang as I twisted and landed in front of Long Feng. I bent the water of of my pouch and flicked both whips toward Long Feng.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I watched the bison as it growled and stamped its feet.

"You're mine now" I hissed. The slid open behind me and I turned, brandishing my swords. I blinked as Uncle entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Uncle?" I asked.

"So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask?" he said. I sighed, removing the mask.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?"

"First I have to get it out of here" Uncle looked angry.

"AND THEN WHAT?! You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had no where to go!"

"I would have figured something out!"

"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

"I know my own destiny uncle" I told him.

"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"

"Stop it Uncle. I have to do this" I turned away from him.

"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Think about what Kimi said. Who are you? And what do you want?" I hurled my swords and the mask to the floor with a cry of frustration.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I snarled as Long Feng blocked my whips by raising a wall of earth between us. Behind me, I could hear Aang and Jet fighting.

"Jet, it's me Aang! You don't have to do this"

"I'm afraid he no longer has a choice" Long Feng grunted. I dove forward, tackling him to the ground. "Jet help me!" I tumbled off Long Feng just in time as Jet's sword cut through the space I had just occupied. Aang ran forward and got Jet's attention.

"Jet, we're your friends! Look inside your heart!" he cried.

"Do your duty Jet" Long Feng ordered. I howled in fury and slashed my down as I turned. Fire spun away from my hand and Long Feng ducked to avoid it just as I pushed my hands out sending a wave of water crashing into him.

"He can't make you do this! You're a Freedom Fighter" I called to him. Jet straightened in shock.

"Do it! Do it now!" Long Feng yelled. Jet spun around with a snarl of rage and hurled one of his swords at Long Feng. I saw Long Feng begin to move and I flung my wrist out. The water whip wrapped around Jet's torso and I yanked him toward me. He fell to the ground just in time as the out thrust stone appeared where he had just been. Long Feng spun to face me and attacked quickly. The ceiling above me crumbled and debris rained down. I covered my head as I was buried.

"Kimi!" I moved my hand, sending a jet of fire out, making a hole in the debris. I was hauled out as I went into a coughing fit.

"You saved my life" Jet mumbled as he hugged me tightly. I backed away, giving him a small smile.

"Did you really think I was going to let you die?"

"But I-" He stopped and looked down at his feet.

"I forgive you" I whispered. I turned to face the others. I looked at Katara and Sokka's sad faces.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Sokka asked quietly. I nodded.

"I'm sorry" I told them.

"Why?" Katara cried. "We just got you back!"

"I know" I said as I embraced her. "But I need to do this. I need to find my own path, my way" She sniffled. "Go. Get Appa. I'll find you again when I can" Jet exchanged a look with Smellerebee and Longshot as Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Toph ran out after Long Feng. "Go with them" I told him. "You came here for a second chance. There's your chance. End this war honorably" I told him. He grinned at me.

"You really know how to convince peope don't you?" he chuckled. I looked over at Smellerbee and Longshot.

"And you two, get your acts together and admit your feelings. I barely know you and it's obvious" They both blushed brilliant shades of red. Jet chuckled. He hugged me quickly.

"Good luck" he said before turning and leaving with Smellerbee and Longshot right behind him. I sighed and turned back the way I came. I snuck through, moving past the Dai Li. I pushed my way out the opening and raised an eyebrow when I saw Iroh and Zuko standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. They both jumped and turned to me.

"Kimi?" Iroh asked. "Why are you here?" I flushed.

"I ran into a friend and helped them out with a problem" I said quietly. "What about you?"

"Zuko freed the Avatar's bison" Iroh told me proudly.

"That's great" I said coolly. "Aang will be happy when he gets Appa back" I didn't look over at Zuko, keeping my eyes on Iroh. Iroh raised an eyebrow and I scowled. I walked around them and down the path. "Are you coming?" I called over my shoulder. I heard Iroh huffing as he ran up behind me. "Let's just go home. I'm spent" Iroh laughed, his belly shaking, and I giggled at him. I looked back at Zuko and felt a pang in my heart. The kiss didn't mean anything to him. I held back the tears. I finally realized why the kiss had felt so amazing and why I had felt so hurt when he said it didn't mean anything. I was in love with Zuko.

* * *

**Author's Note #2: **I just couldn't bear to kill Jet. He really was one of my favorite characters in the end. And I have heistant plans for a follow up series and I'm thinknig of using him...anyways, review!


	12. The Earth King

**Author's Note**: Come on people I know I have more than six viewers to this story. Please vote in my poll!

**The Earth King**

Kimi's POV

I held open the door for Zuko and Iroh and then followed them into the apartment.

"You did the right thing, letting the Avatar's bison go free" Iroh told him.

"I don't feel right" Zuko moaned. I spun around to look at him as he suddenly collapsed.

"Zuko!" I exclaimed. Iroh hurried to over to Zuko and lifted him up. I followed him as he set him down on the futon.

"Stay with him" Iroh said. I nodded and knelt beside the futon. Zuko tossed and turned, moaning. I hesitated before gently taking his hand in mine, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand. Iroh came back in with a tub of water and a cloth. He knelt down and wet the cloth. Zuko's eyes fluttered open.

"You're burning up. You have an intense fever. This will help cool you down" Iroh told him as he placed the cool cloth over Zuko's brow.

"So thirsty" he moaned as he tried to sit up. I gently pushed him back down as Iroh ladled some water and supported Zuko's shoulders while he drank.

"Here's some clean water to drink. Stay under the blankets, and sweat this out" Zuko gulped down the water and tossed the ladle away. He lifted up the bucket and poured it down his throat, splashing it down his chest. He threw it away from him and it crashed against the wall as he laid back down, coughing.

* * *

Zuko's POV

_I was wearing the traditional robes and crown of the Firelord. I was sitting in Father's throne. Two dragons slithered down the columns on either side._

_"It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?" The voice was familiar and it brought an unpleasant feeling up inside me._

_"I'm not tired"_

_"Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go, give into it. Shut your eyes for awhile" the Blue Dragon said._

_"No, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the Blue Dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! Before it's too late!" the Red Dragon urged. This voice also sounded familiar. Someone close to me._

_"Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko" the Blue Dragon whispered. Both dragons disappeared and everything was swallowed by an inky blackness. I searched the room in distress. Where did everything go? Two golden eyes appeared and then the face of the Blue Dragon. "Sleep, just Like MOTHER!" The dragon surged forward, swallowing me. I looked up to a figure in the distance._

_"Zuko, help me!" I watched her as she disappeared. I closed my eyes._

_"It really meant nothing to you?" I opened my eyes to see Kimi and myself standing before me. We were inside the apartment and she was holding my dream-self's wrist. My dream-self jerked his wrist out of her grip._

_"Yes" he said tersely. My dream-self disappeared and Kimi turned to me._

_"_Zuko, please don't go. I-I love you_" Her voice sounded different. Like it was right next to me. I clutched my head in pain. Why would she love me? She couldn't love me. She couldn't feel the same way._

* * *

Kimi's POV

I genty took his hand in mine as his face screwed up in pain. Iroh had left just a moment ago.

"Zuko, please don't go" I whispered. "I-I love you" It felt good to finally admit it. A single tear slid down my cheek. Even after everything, I had gotten to see a different side of Zuko. I was in love with him.

* * *

I looked out the window to see night had fallen. Iorh poured some tea into a stone cup and Zuko's eyes flickered open.

"You should know this is not a natural sickness. But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea" Iroh walked over and supported Zuko's head as he drank.

"What? What's happening?" he asked.

"You're critical decision, what you did beneath that lake...it was in such conflict with your image of yourself, that you are now at war within your own mind and body"

"What's that mean?" He went into another coughing fit and I carefully pushed him up.

"You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful Prince you were always meant to be" Zuko leaned back again, resting his head in my lap and closing his eyes. I looked over at Iroh and he chuckled lightly and handed me the cloth. I swallowed and looked down at Zuko's face. I lightly traced his scar and placed the cloth on his forehead. I continued to lightly trace my finger down his cheek as I wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You have to get better" I murmured. "You have to" I leaned my head back and closed my eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

* * *

Zuko's POV

_I rose wearily and looked into Uncle's room. He was sleeping soundly and I continued into the washroom. I splashed water over my face and looked into the mirror. My eyes widened. My scar was gone and I was bald, but the worst part was that I had blue arrows wrapped around my arms and on my head._

I cried out and shot up, breathing heavily. It was just a dream. I looked around the room and was surprised to see that Kimi was sitting on the couch behind me. She groaned and stretched as she blinked sleepily.

"Zuko?" she yawned. She smiled lightly at me. She pressed a hand to my forehead. "How are you feeling?" I stared at her in surprise.

"Better" I croaked. Her eyes sparkled and she patted my head lightly.

"Good" she mumbled. She yawned again and I chuckled as her nose crinkled. She stuck her tongue out and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. I watched her for a moment before her breathing evened out and then laid back, closing my eyes as well.

* * *

**Author's Note #2: **Sorry this chapter is so short but not much happened with Zuko's group. Anyways, next chapter is The Guru/The Crossroads of Destiny. So vote people! Vote! I need feedback! So review as well! Please...


	13. The Crossroads of Destiny

**The Crossroads of Destiny**

Zuko's POV

"What's that smell?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen. Uncle and Kimi were standing at the stove.

"I am making jook. I'm sure you wouldn't like it" Uncle said.

"And I'm making stewed sea prunes. I miss Water Tribe food and you defintely wouldn't like it" I leaned over and inhaled the smell from both pots.

"Actually, they smell delicious. I'd love a bowl, Uncle, Kimi" I picked up two bowls and held them out. Kimi tipped her head to the side and shrugged before laling in a coop of the prunes.

"Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow" Uncle said as he ladled some jook into the other bowl.

"It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up" I knelt down at the table as Kimi served herself some stewed sea prunes and sat down across from me. I watched her with a light smile as she slurpped up the prunes. She blushed and ducked her head when she saw me looking. She finished the prunes hastily before hurrying to her room.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I sighed happily as I looked over at the tea shop. I was wearing the silky green shirt with the dark green tunic over top and the matching pants underneath. The brown belt that completed the outfit was wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees, that I'd end up owning my own tea shop. Follow your passion Zuko, Kimi, and life will reward you"

"Congratulations Uncle"

"It looks great" I told him.

"I'm very thankful" Iroh said.

"You deserve it. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best tea shop in the city" Zuko said confidently.

"No, I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me" He placed a hand on Zuko's arm and then placed his other on my arm. "It means more than you know" I turned and hugged him at the same time as Zuko.

"Now let's make these people some tea" Zuko exclaimed.

"Yes! Let's make some tea!" Iroh said. I grinned happily and followed them. Zuko smiled at me as he held the door open and I felt myself blush.

* * *

"Mushi, I need three ginseng and two green!" I called over my shoulder.

"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green and one lychee!" Zuko called.

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" Iroh called back. I looked up as someone entered the tea shop. I grinned and hurried over.

"Katara!" I put my tray down before throwing my arms around her.

"Kimi?" she asked. I continued to grin.

"I'll be right back" I told her. I picked up my tray and hurried over to Iroh. "Katara's here" I told him quietly. He looked up and then at me. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled.

"You may go" he said. I hugged him tightly.

"Thank you! I'll be back soon!" I called as I hung my apron by the door and grabbed Katara's hand, pulling her out the door.

* * *

Katara filled me in on everything that had happened since I last saw them.

"And guess what?" she said as she led me toward the Earth King's palace.

"What?" I asked.

"Suki's here!"

"That's awesome!" I exclaimed. She pulled me along with her as she ran down the long halls of the Earth King's palace.

"Suki!" she cried as she launched herself across the room. I paused at the door. Only three? That's strange.

"Katara..." I began.

"Can you believe it? I found Kimi. She's working at a tea shop with Prince Pouty and his Uncle" She lokoed at the scroll in her belt. "Oh, and I have to give this to Earth King"

"Katara!" I yelled as 'Suki' looked up. Golden eyes glinted in the light of the room and I ran forward, fire spilling from my hands. Blue fire blocked my wave and I grimaced. "Azula" I sneered.

"The dual bender" she smirked. The other two girls stood and one rushed Katara, her braid flying out behind her. I recongized her as Pink Girl, or as Zuko told me, Ty Lee. Katara was down in a few seconds. I snapped my fire whip at Azula and spun around to block Ty Lee with a shield of fire. Gloomy Girl, or Mai, shot a few arrows at me and caught my sleeves. I yelped as I was pinned to the floor. Ty Lee jumped forward and struck several pressure points and I went limp.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I was worried. No, I was past worried. I was frantic. Uncle told me that Kimi went out around midday, but she wasn't back yet and night had fallen. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited by the door. Uncle patted my shoulder.

"She will be back. She probably lost track of time and decided to stay the night" I looked at him.

"But what if she leaves with them and goes back to travelling with them?" I demanded.

"Then it is her choice. She must dicover her own path as you must discover yours. Besides she would not leave without saying goodbye so she will be back" I huffed before nodding and taking the broom. I began to sweep as a man stepped into the shop and walked over to Uncle.

"A message from the royal palace" The man bowed and handed a scroll to Uncle before leaving.

"I...I can't believe it" he exclaimed.

"What is it Uncle?" I asked, setting the broom against the wall.

"Great news! We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!" Uncle ran off excitedly toward the back of the tea shop. I smiled after him before looking out at the entrance, wondering when Kimi would come back. I bit my lip and reached my hand into my pocket. I ran my hand over the necklace and resumed sweeping.

* * *

"What's taking so long?" I asked as we waited for the Earth King.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept" Uncle suggested. Several Dai Li agents walked into the room and formed a circle around us.

"Something's not right" I muttered. A familiar figure entered the room.

"It's tea time" she said mockingly.

"Azula!" I yelled.

"Have you met the Dai Li? They're Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that is so Firebender, I just love it!" Azula smirked.

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the 'Dragon of the West'?" Uncle asked her.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle"

"It's more of a demonstration really" Uncle took a sip of his tea and I smirked before dukcing behind him. He entered a firebending stance and breath out a powerful torrent of fire. I smiled inwardly. Just like a dragon. I turned and threw a fireball at one wall and ran out into the hall. Uncle followed me, still breathing fire at the Dai Li before catching up with me. The Dai Li followed, firing small, sharp pieces of stone at us. Uncle used a bolt of lightning to break through the wall in front of us and ran out. I looked down at him as he tumbled off the hedge.

"Come on. You'll be fine" he called up to me.

"No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula!" I turned and walked back toward the Dai Li and Azula.

"You're so dramatic. What, are you going to do, challenge me to an Agni Kai?" Azula asked.

"Yes! I challenge you!" I said determinedly.

"No thanks" she said. I raised both and created a large ball of flame. I pushed at Azula and two Dai Li agents stepped in front of her and raised a large, rectangular tile from the floor, blocking the fire blast. Both agents flung their stone gloves at my feet, trapping me to the floor. I stumbled and placed a hand on the floor, which wasa pinned down by another glove. I struggled in vain to pull myself free.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I scowled at the glowing green crystals as Katara paced around the cave.

"Will stop that?" I asked. "You're driving me insane" She huffed and we both looked up as the stone blocking the entrance was moved.

"You've got company" someone called down. I heard a grunt as someone was pushed into the tunnel. They landed in a heap at my feet.

"Zuko!" I cried at the same time as Katara. I reached down and hugged him tightly.

* * *

Sokka's POV

"There's no one else here" Toph said as we entered our house.

"Katara is in trouble! I knew it!" Aang exclaimed.

"Oh no" I moaned.

"Wait, someone's at the door" Toph interjected. Someone knocked a moment later. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine" She walked over and the door slid open to reveal Zuko's Uncle! "Glad to see you're okay"

"I need your help" he said.

"Huh!"

"You guys know each other!" Aang cried.

"I met him in the woods with Kimi and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice"

"May I come in?" Iroh asked. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se"

"She must have Katara" Aang said.

"She has captured my nephew as well. And I fear she may have Kimi as well"

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara, Kimi, and Zuko" Aang said.

"Woah there. You lost me at, 'Zuko'" I scowled.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him" He placed his hands on my shoulders, pleading with me with his eyes.

"Good inside of him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?" I said, removing his hands and pushing him away.

"Katara and Kimi are in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance" I closed my eyes and nodded grudgingly. He was right.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us" Iroh said. He led us outside and showed us a bound and gagged Dai Li agent. Toph quickly bent two stone slabs on either side of him. Iroh pulled down the cloth over his face and he looked at us with wide eyes.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King"

"My sisters! Where are they keeping Katara and Kimi?" I demanded, pointing my machete at the Dai Li agent.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace" he answered.

* * *

Kimi's POV

"Kimi?" Zuko asked. "How? What?"

"Your sister" I hissed. "She caught me and Katara and threw us down here. I'm guessing she got you as well. How?"

"We were invited to the palace to serve tea to the Earth King, but it was a trap. Uncle got away, but Azula caught me"

"Kimi! What are you doing?" Katara exclaimed. "He's the enemy!"

"Katara, he's my friend" I told her.

"It's a trap! So when Aang shows up to rescue us, Zuko can finally have Aang in his little Fire Nation clutches"

"Katara!" I gestured to my golden eye and she flinched before continuing.

"You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood"

"You don't know what you're talking about" Zuko growled. I forced him to sit and blinked as something clinked in his pockets.

"I don't?! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally. The Fire Nation took my mother away from me" I looked down and Zuko placed a hand over mine.

"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common" I wrapped my arms around him and he patted my back awkwardly.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before" Katara said, walking over.

"It doesn't matter" he said. He stood and the thing in his pocket clinked again.

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face"

"My face. I see" I stood as he placed a hand on his scar. I placed my hand over his.

"It's okay" I whispered.

"No, no, that's not what I meant" Katara said quickly.

"It's ok. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark"

"Zuko-" I started. He waved me away.

"Maybe you could be free of it"

"What?"

"I have healing abilities, like Kimi"

"It's a scar. It can't be healed" he said. I remembered the Spirit Water. A strange feeling settled over me.

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have be saving it forsomething important. I don't know if it would work, but..." Katara walked over to stand beside me. Zuko closed his eyes and I looked over at Katara. She placed a hand on my shoulder just as one wall of the cave exploded. I jerked around and grinned.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed. She launched ran up to Aang and hugged him as Iroh ran over and swept me and Zuko into a tight hug. "Aang, I knew you would come"

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar!" Zuko demanded.

"Saving you, that's what" Aang told him. Zuko snarled and tried to lunge at him, but Iroh and I stopped him. Something clinked against the ground. I bent down to pick it up and gaped at the necklace. It was _my_ necklace. The pearl necklace I sold to the pirates. The three strands gleamed in the light of the glowing crystals. I traced the design on the clasp and a small tear dripped down my cheek.

"Zuko, it's time we talked" I heard Iroh say as I gazed at the necklace. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you" I heard Aang and Katara leave and I slowly raised my head to look at Zuko. He was looking at Uncle.

"Why Uncle?" he asked, hurt entering his voice.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" I moved to step closer, but a rumbling stopped me. A trail of crystals shot out of the ground, trapping me and Iroh. Zuko spun around, readying himself for an attack. Azula and two Dai Li agents slid down from the tunnel. Azula advanced.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle and the dual bender, but Zuko, Prince Zuko...you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"

"Release them immediately!"

"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself" Azula said.

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you" Iroh told him.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want"

"Zuko..." I started, my voice soft.

"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want" Iroh said.

"You are free to choose" Azula waved a hand at the Dai Li agents and them left. Azula turned and left.

"Zuko, please" I begged. He looked at me and then looked down. My hand holding the necklace was sticking out of the crystal cage. He gently took the necklace from me and held it up.

"I bought back this and the rug you sold to the pirates. It's in my bag at the apartment" Tears streamed down my face as the meaning of his wrods hit me. He wasn't going back. He placed the necklace in my hand before shedding his outer robe and running after his sister.

"Zuko!" I cried.

"Kimi" I looked over at Iroh through my tear-filled eyes. "He made his choice. Now we must help your friends" I nodded and concentrated on my inner fire. I took a deep breath making it build and build. I exhaled, sending it spiining out in a vortex of white-hot flame. The crystals exploded and I pulled the fire back in. I inhaled deeply as my inner fire settled. I looked at the necklace as Iroh's prison of crystals exploded as well. He walked over to me and gently took the necklace. He unclasped it and reclasped it around my neck. I traced the pearls lightly before nodding at Iroh and running down the tunnel. I could hear booms and shouting from up ahead. We came to a fork in the tunnel and paused.

"Which one?" I asked nervously. Iroh moved toward one tunnel and then leaned toward the other.

"This one" he said, pointing to the first. We ran down it and came out at a cliff. I looked out and saw Aang rising into the air, his tattoos glowing. My eyes widened. He had gone into the Avatar State. I grinned. We had a chance. Suddenly, the familiar crackle of lightning caught my attention and a blue bolt hit Aang in his back.

"No!" I screamed. I watched horrified as he fell. Katara appeared on a wave of water and caught him. Iroh and I leapt down, landing between her and Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li.

"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh yelled.

"Katara, go!" I cried as Iroh punched left and right, shooting fire at the others. She looked at me with a tear-stained face before nodding and escaping. I spun around and launched myself at Zuko. "You bastard!" I yelled. His eyes widened and he ducked. I flew over his head and landed lightly on my toes, sliding across the ground. I launched several balls of fire at him. "I loved you! You heartless, evil, jerk!" Azula smoothly stepped between Zuko and my attack, blocking it. "You evil bitch!" I twisted my arms, sending several spikes of ice shooting at her. She melted them with a wall of blue fire. "You killled him!" She smirked at me and signaled to the Dai Li. They instantly surrounded me and I looked over at Iroh. He was trapped in a ring of crystals. He nodded at me and I glared at my attackers as I lowered my hands and I was trapped in crystals as well. Zuko stared blankly at Iroh who met his nephew's gaze for a moment before looking away. Zuko looked at me and I remembered what I had said. I looked down. I knew deep down that I still loved him, but I couldn't help but feel hatred and sorrow at his betrayal. A strange sound echoed inside me and I wondered if it was the sound of my heart breaking.

* * *

**Author's Note:** OMIGOSH! Can you believe it? The end of book 2! (sniffle) Thank you to my loyal readers and reviewers! Keep watching for Book 3!


	14. Author's Note

So I posted a new poll on my profile. What prison do you think Kimi should go to?

VOTE! I like feedback!

And once again thanks to all my reviews, you make me smile :)


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